Colossians
Notes on Colossians Chapter 1
Colossians 1:1
An Apostle by the Will of God
Introduction:
Paul introduces himself to the Colossian believers.
- The first word in this epistle in both English and Greek is PAUL.
- For years during our study in Hebrews, I referred to “the author.”
- Now, I can freely name the author: Paul!
- It says Paul… there is no question as to the identity of its human author. It is Paul, the apostle.
- The first word in this epistle in both English and Greek is PAUL.
Paul an Apostle
The title of apostle is how Paul introduced himself in many of his epistles. Twice as “servant” (Philippians & Romans); once as “prisoner” (Philemon); once simply by name – no title (I Thessalonians); once as apostle AND servant (Titus 1:1); and seven times as “apostle” (Corinthians; the Galatians, Colossians, Timothy).
The term “apostle” = a sent one; one sent on a mission. The term literally means “one sent from”; it implies one sent on a mission… But it also is similar to our ambassador, in that it implies one sent as a representative and with authority.
Paul’s view of the PURPOSE of the apostles’ ministry: Eph. 2:20 – the apostles were the foundation of the church. Eph. 3:5 – the holy apostles were given revelation of the church. Eph. 4:11 – they were sent by the risen Christ as apostles to minister to the early church… and build up the Body.
Paul’s view of THE POSITION of an apostle: He held the position in high esteem. Rom. 11:13 – Paul magnified his office as apostle to the gentiles, ONLY because their salvation magnified God. I Cor. 12:28 – the apostles were set forth FIRST in the church.
Paul’s view of himself as an apostle: I Cor. 15:9 – he was the LEAST of the apostles because he persecuted the church. II Cor. 12:11 – his office was something in his eyes, but he was NOTHING.
The world’s view of an apostle: I Cor. 4:9-13 – the offscouring…(dirt rubbed off; scum). When Paul introduced himself as an apostle, this was not a title that would make men stand up and applaud… not in the world! Just a generation or so ago, a Bible believing minister of the gospel was held in high esteem in the community in this country. Today it is edging closer and closer to offscouring. Paul wasn’t ashamed of Christ or of the gospel or of his ministry as an apostle… but it was NOT highly esteemed in the world.
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ
Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ… sent from Christ… with a message from Him… as His representative… and carrying the full weight of His authority. Though Paul was a “sent one” like the other twelve original apostles, Paul’s apostleship was a bit different.
The term implies one sent on a mission, but says nothing about what that mission was. Paul’s mission was a bit different than the mission of the other twelve. His mission and apostleship were different from the other apostles. This truth is KEY in dispensational theology…
- It is key in keeping Israel and the church distinct…
- It is key in keeping the gospels and the epistles distinct…
- It is key in keeping law and grace distinct…
- Paul’s message, ministry, and mission were NOT like the other apostles as we read of them in the gospels.
Acts 9:15: The Lord said unto him, “Go thy way; for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to BEAR MY NAME before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. The other apostles were not sent to bear the name of Christ before foreign kings… and before the Gentiles. They were sent to PROCLAIM His name in Israel. Paul was sent to BEAR His name before the world… in a unique way.
Not by men…not of men… but by Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:1,15). Not OF men – of = apo = from… which speaks of source. He didn’t come FROM men with a message, but from Christ Himself! Men were not the source of his message, authority, or commission. Paul was not an apostle because the leaders at the church at Jerusalem ordained him and sent him out. His apostleship did NOT have a human source. It was NOT the laying on of hands in Acts 13:2 that made him an apostle. That was men acknowledging God’s choice.
Neither BY man – Neither = not even… By = dia = here speaking of an intermediate agency. Paul is stating that his apostleship did not originate with men… in fact, men were not even used as the agents in God’s choice! Paul’s apostleship came DIRECTLY from the Lord Himself! (Gal. 1:16-17) Not of flesh and blood – but from Christ in the Arabian desert.
But by Jesus Christ… By = dia – agency – Christ was the direct channel of Paul’s apostleship. Paul’s apostleship was not of human origin, but DIVINE, Jesus Christ being the Divine agent in that call.
And God the Father. Paul’s apostleship was DIVINE… It came to Him from God the Father… and the Son – mediate… agents… I Tim. 1:1 – “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And an apostle by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:2) It was the Spirit who sent Saul and Barnabus on their missionary journey. This was God’s doing all the way – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! I Cor. 15:9-10 – “By the grace of God I am what I am.” God appointed him; called him; chose him; gave him the gift of ministry and being an apostle. He didn’t win a contest to become an apostle; he didn’t beat out the competition; there was no showmanship; he didn’t show off his talents and public speaking skills. He wasn’t chosen because he was talented. He was chosen by GRACE… undeserved favor! He wasn’t chosen as a called apostle because he was gifted. Rather, he was gifted because he was a called apostle. Paul’s call to the ministry was DIVINE – not of men neither by man, but by Jesus Christ.
Application: His call was not of men, but of God. So too is the call to the ministry today. There is no supernatural call or appearance of the Lord or audible voices from heaven… But my recommendation to young men today is DON’T go into the ministry unless you are certain that it was the LORD who called you to do so! If one’s concept is that men called you, then you end up serving men… and serving in order to please men. 1:10-12 – not so with Paul. He serves Christ, not men. 3:23-24 – me too! “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Unfortunately, church leaders seem to have lost sight of this call of God… and as a result have become man-centered… The ministry is seen as a job (job fairs!) Men hire you so you feel obligated to do what they say and what they want—instead of what GOD says and what God wants… Men often look for all the wrong qualities in calling a pastor. (Who is the most talented (Moses?); who is the most popular among the people (Jeremiah?); who wins the most souls (Noah?); who is the most eager beaver (Jonah?) who commands the best presence? (Saul or David?) Men look after the outward appearance… (tallest; strongest; smartest; most talented; most successful; best looking. God looks at the heart. Men go about choosing in all the wrong ways.
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the Will of God (Col. 1:1)
By the will of God (Col. 1:1)
The will of God – Will: what one wishes or has determined shall be done; purpose; intent. The term speaks of God’s plans, purposes, intentions, will. God DOES have a will… a purpose and a plan for Paul’s life and for yours. Paul was an apostle because of the will of God. This was God’s plan for this man’s life… God intended for him to be an apostle… It was God’s purpose for his life… This is not simply the sovereign will or His permissive will (he permitted it – God permits many things to occur that He does not desire – sin!). Rather, this was the sovereign will AND it was the desire of God’s heart for Paul to be an apostle.
Paul was an apostle because God WANTED him to be so. Paul was a Pharisee, but God saved him and didn’t want him to be a Pharisee any more. God’s will was for Paul to be an apostle. I Tim. 2:7 – God ORDAINED him to be a preacher and apostle. II Tim. 1:11 – he was APPOINTED an apostle.
BY the will of God (Col. 1:1) (via) The very same Greek construction appears in four other epistles:
- Through the will of God (I Cor. 1:1)
- By the will of God (II Cor. 1:1)
- By the will of God (Eph. 1:1)
- By the will of God (II Tim. 1:1)
By = dia = because of; or by means of; Paul became an apostle because of God; because of God’s will; because God chose him to be an apostle. By the will of God (Col. 1:1) (via).
Paul did not become an apostle for reasons that men often use for changing their jobs: His point is that he was not an apostle because he decided to make a career change… from a Pharisee to an apostle. He did not become an apostle because the position became available and there was a great need and he felt he could resolve that need. He did not become an apostle because men convinced him that he was the man for the job. His family didn’t groom him for this position. He did not become an apostle because the position was more lucrative than his last job as a Pharisee. He did not become an apostle because the job description sounded appealing to him. He didn’t become an apostle because that’s what his degree was in. He didn’t become an apostle because of personal ambition. He did not become an apostle because he had grown disenchanted with his last position and just needed a change of pace… a change of scenery. Nor did he become an apostle because he lost the fire in his belly for his last job.
Paul lists ONE reason here for him becoming an apostle: because it was God’s will. Paul lived by the will of God. God’s will became his will. His will was merged together with God’s will. Oh that God might give us that kind of a heart!
The first thing Paul tells these folks about himself is that he is what he is because of God and God’s will. I hope we can all say this about ourselves: we are what we are because of God’s will. Your job: I work at _________ by the will of God. He led me. He guided me. He has confirmed it to me. Your ministry in the Local Church: I am a Sunday school teacher or _________ by the will of God. I am serving as pastor because of the will of God. (My position should be the same as yours in that sense! Being in the will of God is not just for pastors and missionaries!) I have decided to go to _________ school to study _______ by the will of God.
Paul, an Apostle Called to Suffer IN the Will of God
Acts 9:15-16 – Being a called apostle meant a life of suffering for righteousness sake for Paul. That was his calling. His calling was not to celebrity status… but to be viewed by the world as its offscouring.
II Cor. 11:23-28 – Paul suffered the rest of his days after having been called to the apostleship. He was whipped, beaten, humiliated; imprisoned; stoned; slandered; and the list goes on. Paul never had the opportunity to walk with Jesus on earth… see His miracles… listen to Him preach to multitudes. Paul became an apostle when being an apostle meant suffering… opposition…
Walking in the will of God does NOT mean that we live happily ever after. Walking in the will of God did not mean that for Paul… nor for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… nor for Daniel… nor for Joseph… nor for Jesus. Sometimes we SUFFER according to the will of God.
Take this a step further. We are what we are by the will of God. But I just broke my leg! I just realized I have an awful disease! I just got laid off from work! My son just got in an auto accident! I Kings 12:24 – this thing is from me! Rehoboam just lost his kingdom… torn in half before his very eyes. Civil war… brethren against brethren. He went to fight in order to get it back and reverse the awful circumstances, but God said NO. This thing is from me! Rehoboam tried to fight against God’s will, but the Lord made him to learn to accept it… submit to it… Rehoboam now ruled over a portion of a divided kingdom… and this was “by the will of God.” It would be a difficult pill for Rehoboam to swallow, but he would learn that “this thing is from me.” The division in the land… was “by the will of God.” This ugly civil war… a nation broken up and divided, was the will of the Lord.
Sometimes God’s will for our lives is difficult to swallow. God’s will for Rehoboam was the LAST thing Rehoboam would ever have chosen for himself. God’s will for Paul as an apostle also included many sorrow filled days and nights… but there was a comfort in resting in the fact that he knew that this was the will of the Lord. Acts 9:15-16 – I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Yet Paul didn’t fight against it. He submitted to it… knowing that Gods’ call included much suffering.
I Pet. 4:19 – “let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing.” If we suffer while doing the will of God – commit your soul to God as to a faithful Creator! Your soul will NEED comfort when God’s will for your life takes a tragic turn. God is the God of all Comfort – not for the world – but for those who suffer according to His will… for righteousness sake. When you walk with God, follow His Word, and men turn against you – you are suffering according to the will of God.
This thing is from me. The Lord Jesus told His disciples that if you are going to follow Me, be ready to pick up a cross. If we are going to follow the One who carried the burden and the weight of the sins of the whole world, then we too must be willing to carry a burden… a weight…
Paul was an apostle by the will of God. His apostleship would prove to be a most difficult task. He would suffer unimaginably because he was an apostle. Of course, he would experience joy unspeakable on many occasions too. And Paul learned that all this was by the will of God. He lived and died by the will of God. He learned that the purpose of his life was to live out God’s will… and for him – that included apostleship – which included much suffering…
Do you think Paul would have ACCEPTED the position as apostle if he knew EVERYTHING God had in store for him? Perhaps not. Perhaps if he knew ALL of the suffering, all the grief, the humiliation, the burdens that were part of it, he might have said, “No thanks. I’ll stick to tent making.” But God didn’t reveal ALL of the suffering to him up front… Neither does God reveal all of what His will for our lives includes when we are new believers. It might scare us away. God waits until we grow, and mature, and are able to handle it… But He never gives more than we can handle… God gives us grace for each part of His will… strength for each day we walk in His will… As thy days, so shall thy strength be. Paul’s unique life proves this to us all.
Paul, A Unique Apostle of Jesus Christ
His Unique Calling: He was called… (Rom. 1:1) Called: invited; divinely selected and appointed. The term is used in 8:28 – “the called” according to His purpose. Chosen by God… handpicked. Paul was an apostle by the will of God; and by the call of God – by divine appointment… divine choice… he was elected or selected to the position of an apostle—by God!
He was a called apostle… but unique. His unique calling:
- The other apostles were chosen by Christ during His period of humiliation.
- They were called to be WITH Jesus in His earthly ministry to Israel. (Mark 3:14)
- They walked with Jesus, and listened to Him teach.
- They ministered with Jesus…
- Paul never met the Lord in His period of humiliation.
The Lord Jesus in His earthly body walked up to the other apostles and called them one by one. Paul’s calling was unique. (Acts 9:3-6) His was a supernatural appearance of the glorified, eternal Son of God in power and great glory… Paul was blinded by the sight of Him… Paul was called from heaven.
A Unique Sending – The other apostles were sent to the lost sheep of the tribes of Israel exclusive and were specifically told NOT to go to the gentiles. (Mt. 10:5-6) Jesus too was sent exclusively to the house of Israel. (Mt. 15:24) Paul is an apostle sent on a mission TO the gentiles! (Gal. 2:8-9; Rom. 11:13) Acts 13:2 – sent by the Holy Spirit… men merely recognized the call.
A Unique Relationship to Christ. Paul met Christ only after His glorification. (Acts 9:3-6) Paul’s conversion took place only AFTER the cross and resurrection… and after the church age had begun. Paul only knew Christ as the God-Man in Glory… the Risen, glorified Savior… who (at the time of Paul’s conversion) was the Head of the Body, the Church… Born out of due time…Paul stands alone among the hand-chosen apostles as the only one chosen on resurrection ground. (I Cor. 15:8)
- Paul was unique, in that he was chosen by the Risen, ascended, glorified Savior.
- Paul never thought of Jesus as a carpenter… as a frail human being.
- Paul always thought of Christ in His radiant glory… as John saw Jesus in Rev. 1… and fell down at His feet as a dead man!
- II Cor 5:15-16 – We know Christ no more as the carpenter from Galilee. We know Him as the Lord from Heaven… the Lord of Glory… the glorified God Man… as the Great High Priest in heaven… the HEAD of the new creation, the church which is His Body.
His Unique Message – Unlike the other apostles, Paul never preached “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 10:7) Read through the gospels: the original 12 apostles never preached, “Jesus died for your sins and rose again on the third day.” In fact, they were reluctant to believe that! Peter outright denied it! (Matt. 16:21-22) Paul’s gospel was uniquely the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24) Paul received his message from Jesus FROM HEAVEN… not the Jesus upon the earth… an earthly message for His earthly people Israel… a message of an earthly kingdom and its Messiah King. Paul received a message from heaven, for God’s heavenly people, the church… Christ, the Head of the new creation… the New Man… the church… a unique place in God’s program.
His Unique Revelation – Paul was also the primary vessel used of the Lord in revealing the mystery, the church. (Eph. 3:2-6) Paul revealed the mystery of Christ in you—the hope of glory.
His Unique Ministry – Gal. 1:16 – God called Paul to reveal His Son IN him. God revealed Christ IN Paul, that he might communicate the GLORY of this mystery to the whole world – Christ in you! (Col. 1:27) This is the mystery of the indwelling Christ. The fact that God would be WITH His people was no mystery. The apostles knew that during Jesus’ earthly ministry. (“Even the Spirit of Truth… he dwelleth with you, and shall be IN YOU.”) Paul revealed that Christ would be in—even believing Gentiles! A marvelous mystery, now revealed… the glory of this age.
Gal. 2:8 – God worked IN Paul and that resulted in his unique apostolic ministry. God worked IN Paul… God working IN YOU both to will and to do of His good will. Hebrews ended with the words, God “makes you perfect/mature… to do His will working IN YOU that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ.”
Paul was sent out as an apostle in a unique way. His calling was unique – supernatural appearance of the glorified God Man. His sending was unique – sent to the Gentiles to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. His relationship to Christ was unique – he knew Him not in His earthly ministry as King, but in His heavenly ministry as Head of the Body. His message was unique – the gospel of the grace of God… His revelation was unique – called to revealed the mystery of the Body of Christ = Jew and Gentile in one Body on equal footing in Christ! His ministry was unique – sent not just to preach ABOUT Christ, but to manifest the LIFE of the indwelling Christ to the world!
The book of Colossians is a reflection of Paul’s unique apostolic ministry.
Application: Does this have any impact on our lives today? It sure does. We too are called of God – called saints! Called to suffer for His name’s sake… Called to be His witnesses… to bear His name… to represent Him… to be His ambassadors… Called to tell others the good news of a risen and glorified Savior who died for their sins and offers them life as a gift of grace. Called to manifest His marvelous indwelling LIFE to a world that needs a clear witness of who He is… that they might be attracted to our Savior… called to be a savour of LIFE… unto life.
God will call each one of us to suffer for righteousness sake sooner or later. We need to KNOW and experience the unsearchable riches of the indwelling LIFE of Christ and His resurrection power IN US… This is the ONLY way we will be able to continue on… the only way we can bear the burdens and suffering God has called us to. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” He is not just with us… He is IN us… We don’t need help holding up our old man. Reckon him to be dead. What we need is His resurrection life… to walk in newness of life. The stronger our knowledge of and faith in this indwelling LIFE and power are – the better equipped we are to face whatever God shall call us to suffer for His name.
To the Saints at Colosse
Introduction:
The Believer’s Relationship to God: Saints
A. What a Saint is Not
1. Roman view of a saint…
a. St. Joseph Catechism: A very holy person; one who loves God perfectly and is now in heaven; especially one who died with perfect love and did not have to pass through purgatory.
• To qualify, they have to have been dead for a certain amount of time…
• They have to have performed a miracle.
• In the Bible saints are NEVER dead and in heaven. They are always alive and on earth.
• Col. 1:2 – he is writing a letter to the saints in the city of Colosse. You don’t write letters to dead people.
• I Cor. 1:2 – secondly, saints in the Bible were not always very holy people practically. The Corinthians were saints, but were NOT very holy.
• Their definition got off to a bad start.
b. Catechism question # 171 – “What can the “saints” in heaven do for the souls in purgatory and the faithful on earth?” … The saints in heaven can help the souls in purgatory and the faithful on earth by praying for them.”
• Rome’s doctrine of saints seems to be specifically designed to undermine our relationship to Christ.
• The Bible says that it is CHRIST who is in heaven and who ever makes intercession for us… not the so-called saints! (Heb. 7:24-25)
c. Catechism question # 172: “Should the faithful on earth… honor the “saints” in heaven and pray to them?” The faithful on earth… should honor the saints in heaven pray to them because they are worthy of honor… and will help the faithful on earth.
• This too is designed to undermine one’s relationship to Jesus Christ.
• This doctrine once again undermines a person’s relationship to Christ…
• It suggests that honor goes to a dead human being, rather than to Christ Himself. (Remember the theme of Colossians!)
• It also places the so called “saint” between the person and Christ… as a mediator. Instead of praying to God directly, they are told to pray to the saint who will relay that message to God.
• What does the Bible say? There is ONE mediator! Only one… (I Tim. 2:5)
• Besides – THINK about this. They are teaching that a dead human being must take on God-like qualities. He must be able to listen to potentially millions of people praying to him in hundreds of languages at the same time! Omniscience and omnipresence would be required for that!
• In stark concrete terms, they are teaching that not only do dead people pray for you, but you are to pray TO dead people.
d. Catechism question #216: “How can we honor the saints?” We can honor the saints by imitating their holy lives, by praying to them, and by showing respect to their relics and images.
• Again, this undermines a relationship to Christ and violates Scripture.
• Praying to them violates I Tim. 2:4.
• The catechism goes on to explain that praying to the saints means talking to them… and that they are willing and able to help us.
• Think about what is being said here. They are telling their people to talk to dead people! And not only so, but that the dead people will help them somehow!
• The Bible says that we are to pray to God and Him alone… and only HE is able to deliver us…
• Should we honor their relics and images? This is a violation of the first commandment – which not only forbids showing honor to an image or an idol, it forbids making them! (Ex. 20:1-5)
2. The common Protestant View of a saint: many protestants who reject the Catholic notion of a saint have defined a saint as “one who has struggled with sin and was victorious and has been received triumphantly into heaven.”
a. At funerals, they speak of the Christian dead as “sainted.”
b. This is an improvement over Rome’s view, in that it removes the superstition and idolatry, and it does not undermine the work of Christ…
c. However, it too falls short of what the Bible says about a saint.
d. In the Bible, a saint is not someone who has been memorialized in a stained glass window. A saint is a vile sinner saved by grace… like me… and you, if you know Christ as your Savior.
e. The terms Paul uses in Col. 1:2 are the most common terms for believers… for Christians in the Bible.
• The term Christian only appears 3 times!
• The term “Saint” appears over 100 times in Bible and mainly as a synonym for “believer.”
• Brethren almost 250 times in the NT alone!
f. For those who know the Bible, referring to living people as saints is perfectly normal. For those who do NOT know the Bible, but have been indoctrinated in traditions of men – it sounds quite strange.
g. Note in Col. 1:2 that Paul is NOT addressing saints in heaven… he is addressing saints in Colosse! The folks who received and read this epistle were all very much alive.
B. What a Saint Is: The Term – hagiois
1. Means: set apart; one who is sanctified; consecrated; separation
2. The verb form of saint is “sanctify.” A saint is simply a person who has been sanctified.
3. But what does sanctify mean?
a. The term has nothing to do with cleansing or purification; it has nothing to do with the extinction of evil in the flesh…
• Gen. 2:3 – God sanctified the Sabbath.
• It wasn’t dirty and was made clean; rather, it was put in a special position… separate from all other days.
• God did the work of sanctifying the Sabbath. The Sabbath was separate from other days because God declared it to be so.
• Saturdays LOOKED like every other day… the sun came up and went down the same… it had the same weather pattern as other days… it was still 24 hours.
• An onlooker might observe the days and not notice anything special or different about the Sabbath. No celestial halo appeared in the sky on Saturdays.
• Very often the Jews did not observe the Sabbath properly. They bought and sold and went about their daily business as if this day were NOT separate from the other days.
• But it didn’t matter what others thought of the Sabbath… it didn’t matter whether the Jews observed the Sabbath… it was sanctified because God separated this day from all others.
• It was a unique day… special… set apart to God… whether acknowledged, practiced, believed, or not.
• God sanctified the Sabbath. It was God’s work of setting this day apart from all others… and putting it into a unique position as a day separated unto Him… consecrated unto His service…
• The Sabbath was HOLY (sanctified) because God set it apart.
• However, God later commanded His people, the Jews to remember to KEEP the Sabbath holy… to observe the Sabbath…
• But regardless of whether the Jews obeyed God or not – the Sabbath was holy… because God sanctified it.
b. The term does not mean to “make pure.”
• Jesus Christ “sanctified” Himself. (John 17:19)
• Jesus Christ was sanctified by the Father (John 10:36)
• This does not mean that He had sin that needed to be cleansed or purified.
• Rather, it means that Christ was set apart to a special ministry by the Father… and He set Himself apart to that ministry.
• It means He was consecrated to divine service.
• Just as Old Testament priests were consecrated to divine service… they were sanctified. (Ex. 28:41)
• The Old Testament priests did not always live a consecrated life… but regardless of their lifestyle, they WERE consecrated to the priesthood.
• It wasn’t their lifestyle that MADE them consecrated or sanctified for divine service. It was their calling… it was their position…
• Some priests honored God by their consecrated service and godly lives.
• Other priests (like Eli’s sons) were a disgrace to their calling… They were anointed and set apart to the priestly service, but their lifestyles were abominable!
c. Num. 20:12 – Moses was rebuked for not sanctifying God.
• God was already holy… infinitely so… pure… sinless.
• But Moses was expected to put God in a special place in the minds and hearts of the people by the way Moses lived… by his faith – trusting in the Lord.
• When Moses smote the rock, he demonstrated a LACK of faith… and a LACK of reverence toward God.
• His actions declared that God was NOT special…
• An interesting thought – by our actions, we can either sanctify God in the eyes of those around us… or bring dishonor to Him.
• That’s why we are a little old fashioned around here. Our goal is not to please the people and have lots of fun. Our goal is to sanctify God – by our worship, our reverence, and respect we show in this place, we set God apart from all else…
• This is part of our testimony as believers… to sanctify God.
d. The main gist of the term is separation…
• In the Bible, the setting apart has two sides:
1. Set apart FROM… sin, self, the world, Adam, old life
2. Set apart TO… God…
C. The Believer’s Position as a Saint
1. Sanctified (Positionally)
a. Every born again believer is a sanctified one… a saint.
b. This does not refer to an elite group of believers, but ALL believers are saints.
c. Even the carnal Corinthian believers were sanctified… (I Cor. 1:1-2) Their lives were not excessively virtuous, but they were sanctified positionally. (I Cor. 6:11)
d. At salvation, God sets us apart from sin and condemnation and puts us in a position that is acceptable unto Him…
e. The unbelieving sinner, at the moment of saving faith is separated from his sin, condemnation, and his unsaved position and is placed or separated UNTO the status of a saved person… with all that that implies (regenerated; justified; redeemed; reconciled; etc.)
f. We are separated from our former position in Adam and placed in Christ… set apart unto God.
g. Sanctify: to set apart unto God.
• We were in Adam, and God set us apart from our former relationship to Adam and placed us in Christ…
• We were in the world, now we are in the church, the Body of Christ.
• We were in the family of Satan, and are now set apart from that and set apart unto God’s family.
• At the moment of saving faith, God changes our position… and we are forever set apart unto God.
h. Positional sanctification occurs ONCE for all! (Heb. 10:10, 14)
• This kind of sanctification never needs to be repeated. It is a “once for all” sanctification.
• We are completely and eternally separated unto God!
• Vs. 14 – them that are sanctified never need to be sanctified in this sense again.
i. Being positionally sanctified is God’s work for us… not our work for God.
• Heb. 10:10 – By the which will — by God’s will – HIS choice.
• Heb. 10:10 – through the offering of the Body of Christ. HIS work on our behalf.
• Cf. I Cor. 1:30 – But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us sanctification…
• Christ is our sanctification. It is God’s work through His Son.
• All those in Christ have been sanctified… separated unto God…
j. And HOW do we become sanctified?
• Heb. 13:12 – we are sanctified by the blood of Christ. Christ died and rose again. His shed blood was the payment for our sins.
• II Thess. 2:13 – God hath chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit… and BELIEF of the truth. Our job is to believe. God’s Holy Spirit will then set us apart unto Himself… sanctify us… hence, we are saints.
• Acts 26:16-18 – we are sanctified BY FAITH in Christ! (not by performing miracles or an exceptionally holy life). Faith: nothing more… nothing less.
• Becoming a saint:
» Is entirely God’s work…
» We believe; and God does the work of saving and sanctifying.
» Sanctification is based upon the shed blood of Christ.
» The Holy Spirit sets the believing sinner apart unto God when he believes the gospel.
» The one thus set apart is a SAINT…
» Sanctification, like any aspect of our great salvation is entirely God’s work.
» It is not earned or merited. It is ours as a grace gift through faith and no other way.
k. No one becomes a saint by trying to live a saintly life. (Eph. 2:8-9)
• Becoming a saint is not the final reward for a life full of sacrifice, good works, and virtue… that one obtains at the end of life when one enters heaven.
• Rather, becoming a saint occurs the very moment our new life in Christ begins!
• The person who puts his trust in Christ – God saves! God sanctifies once and for all!
• God promises that if we place our FAITH in His finished work on the cross, then God will save us…
• God promises to put that believer in a new position –
» Separated from his former life in Adam…and separated unto a new position in Christ.
» Separated from his former state of condemnation to a position of being justified!
» Separated from darkness unto light.
» Separated and removed from your former position as a child of the devil to a son of God.
» Separated from our former state of spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ! (Eph. 2:1, 5)
As individuals, we are saints. The church corporately is referred to as a holy nation — or a nation of saints… and a royal priesthood. (I Pet. 2:9) This is an awesome position we possess in Christ.
2. Consecrated
a. As Old Testament priests were consecrated to divine service by an anointing, so too, New Testament priests are also consecrated to divine service by an anointing of the Holy Spirit at salvation. This sets us apart unto God.
b. Every believer (male, female, young, old, new believer or mature) is a consecrated priest before God.
• I Pet. 2:5: “Ye also, as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
• This makes our entire life sacred… hence, whatever we do is to be done for the glory of God…
c. Sanctification sets us apart unto God’s service. As such, we are priests.
d. This means that our lives are no longer ours, but are devoted to God and His service.
e. Consecration or an official dedication to God’s service is PART OF our sanctification.
3. Called
a. We are saints by calling, and not so much by practice. We are called saints – whether we live up to our calling or not!
b. Rom.1:7 – Called to be saints
c. Called: called to (the discharge of) some office. Divinely selected and appointed.
d. It is GOD who calls men to the position as a saint.
e. It is not conferred by men… but a calling from God.
• To be — not in original.
• Saints === we were called to the office or position of a saint… divinely selected and chosen to be a saint.
• Sainthood is our sacred calling…
• The Bible knows nothing of clergy and laity… all true believers in Christ are called to His service… as priests.
• I Thess. 4:7 – We are CALLED to holiness…For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (sanctification or sainthood)
• Eph. 1:18 – Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian saints was that God would open their eyes that they might KNOW what is the glorious hope of their calling… and their marvelous inheritance as saints… (not all saints understand or appreciate their sacred calling!)
D. The Believer’s Responsibility as a Saint
1. We are called saints – walk worthy of our high calling (Eph. 4:1)
a. Vocation = same word as calling in Eph. 1:18 – our calling and virtually the same word as in I Cor. 1:2, “called saints.”
b. In Eph. 1-3, Paul spent 3 chapters describing the marvelous calling of the saint in Christ Jesus…
c. Now, after teaching the believers about their high calling, he challenges them to walk worthy of it! (You are called saints… now live like it!)
d. The word “worthy” (axios) means “equal weight”; one’s calling and conduct should be in balance…
• Our calling is high and heavenly… our walk should be the same… equal… in balance with…
• Eph. 4:2-3 – Paul then describes the proper attitude of the believer – a Christlike attitude… in whatever God, in His sovereign love, sends our way.
• That is how we walk worthy – by allowing the indwelling life of Christ to be manifested through our mortal members.
• This is ever the way of grace. We walk NOT in order to obtain a calling to sainthood, but rather, we are to walk a worthy walk because God has already called us to this position as a saint… by grace… not merit!
2. We are holy… therefore, we ought to BE holy…
a. I Pet. 1:15 – we are called saints… holy ones… separated unto God.
• However, that holy position in Christ carries with it certain responsibilities…
• We are responsible to BE holy in practice, not merely in position.
• The Corinthians were good examples of what NOT to be: they were saints, but did not behave very saintly!
• Here Peter states that we should BE holy… saintly… because we ARE saints… we are sons of God and God is holy, so His sons should be holy… a reflection of HIM!
• It is very poor testimony… we put God in a bad light when we who are saints behave like the world…
• A person who has been called OUT of the world and has been called UNTO God ought to be different… separate…
b. Eph. 5:1 – be followers of God. Vs. 3-4 – and don’t let these sinful practices be once named among you as becometh (is fitting) saints! These practices are unbecoming to a saint! Walk worthy of our high calling.
c. Being a “called saint” is the highest calling imaginable. There is some kind of behavior that may not necessarily be sinful in and of itself, but it is not becoming to one who is a saint! Stay away!
• Titus 2:3 – The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness.
• I Tim. 2:9-10 – ?In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; ? 10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
• Phil. 1:27 – Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
• Rom. 16:2 – that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you.
• Certain kinds of behavior is expected of those who have been called as saints of God. It should affect our behavior, our dress, our conversation, our treatment of other believers…
• Is YOUR behavior becoming holiness? Is your behavior such as becometh saints?
• If not, then perhaps we need to make some changes!
d. This is NOT a matter of law or legalism. It is a matter of being in tune with God… close to Christ like a branch on a vine… and desirous of only that which is Christlike to be manifested through us.
• Are there certain expressions or words you use that may not be outright swears, but perhaps unbecoming a saint?
• Are there things you watch on TV that are not fitting for a saint of God?
• Are there places you go that might not be suitable for a saint of God?
• Are there books you read that are not fitting for one in your position?
• Are there activities you are involved in that may not be evil or wrong, but simply not fitting for a saint?
• On the flip side, there may be things that are fitting for a saint to be involved in that we are NOT presently involved in… and perhaps we should be!
• Perhaps we should be praying before our meals – and we are not. That is becoming for a saint.
• Perhaps we should be getting involved in church ministries – that is fitting a saint.
• Perhaps you should be telling others about Christ… that is fitting for a saint.
e. Don’t you love the way these exhortations are worded in the epistles?
• The Holy Spirit addresses us as sons… full grown sons of God… saints…
• Then He challenges us to walk worthy of so high a calling.
• Religion says, “Do this and that and you might become a saint one day.”
• The Bible says, “By grace through faith you are already a saint… now walk worthy!”
• Our walk as a saint is never in order to obtain a spiritual blessing from God — never to obtain life or in order to become a saint.
• But rather, we are exhorted to a worthy walk out of gratitude for the position God has already given us… and on the basis of indwelling life that we already possess.
3. We are consecrated priests…
a. Rom. 12:1 – hence, we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God… in His service… for His glory…
b. This presenting our bodies (ourselves!) to God IS consecration’s practical side. It is our personal responsibility.
c. God set us apart to His service at the moment of saving faith. God made us kings and priests.
d. Now, it is our responsibility as a believer-saint to put that into practice in our daily lives.
e. In other words, the condition of our lives ought to be commensurate with the position to which we have been called.
f. As consecrated priests, we are to live every moment of every day in that attitude of yieldedness… full surrender… having presented the members of our body to God for His use and service.
g. That’s the life of a saint… one set apart from self and sin and set apart unto God’s service – as a consecrated priest.
h. This isn’t a crisis experience that we do once and for all. It is to be an ongoing attitude of mind and heart – yielded…surrendered… ready to serve Christ… moment by moment… day by day…
i. The more we think about… meditate upon… understand… and learn to appreciate our glorious calling as saints… the more this will have an effect on the way we live!
j. And there will not be one ounce of legalism in any of it.
k. No wonder Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was that God would give them the spirit of revelation and wisdom to understand what is the glorious hope of their calling.
l. Knowing and believing this will change us forever. It will transform our service for God from toil and joyous service… from duty to a glorious privilege… from a burden to a delight.
m. Rather than taking out a whip and beating his readers into subjection to God (legalism), Paul chose to point his readers to Christ and His finished work on the cross… AND to its marvelous results: our high calling in Christ!
n. Meditate on this high calling… study more of it in the Word… let it sink in… the height, length, and depth, and breadth of God’s love for us demonstrated in our calling… and we will begin walking a high and worthy walk to match… not because we have to… but because we WANT to!
o. Spiritual understanding of our high calling as saints in Christ results in a worthy walk! (Col. 1:9-10)
Faithful Brethren
Introduction:
1. Paul addresses the Colossians with two expressions: saints and faithful brethren.
2. Saints: the believer’s relationship to God (set apart unto Him)
3. Brethren: the believer’s relationship to each other (family)
Saints and Faithful Brethren
1. Saints: refers to the believers in the city of Colosse, not in heaven.
a. They are saints because they are sanctified: set apart unto God at the moment of saving faith.
b. We are saints of God…set apart unto His service…
2. The term “faithful brethren” does not refer to a different group of people. They are one and the same as the “saints” mentioned earlier.
a. The Granville Sharpe rule of Greek grammar states that when two nouns are joined by kai (and) and the first noun has the article and the second does not, then the two nouns refer to the same thing.
b. Paul is writing to all the believers in the church at Colosse. Each one of them is referred to as a saint AND a brother.
c. This second term does not divide them into two groups… one that is sanctified (but not necessarily faithful) and another that is faithful member of the brotherhood.
d. That is not the point. The rules of Greek grammar dictate against that interpretation.
e. The church at Colosse, like any true body of believers is referred to as saints and brethren. So too is Salem Bible Church.
f. If you are born again, you are a saint and part of the Christian brotherhood.
3. In the New Testament, the brethren are called: Faithful brethren (Col. 1:2); Holy brethren (Heb.3:1); Beloved brethren (I Cor. 15:58).
a. These are not three different kinds of brothers either.
b. ALL believers… all brothers and sisters in Christ are to be characterized by holiness, by faith, and by love.
• The brothers in Colosse were faithful… not perfectly, but they were faithful. They were believers… brothers… sheep. Sheep follow the Shepherd. “My sheep know me and follow Me.”
• The Hebrew believers were “holy brethren.” They were set apart unto God. They were not perfectly holy practically – but positionally they were sanctified once for all.
• The Corinthian believers were called “beloved brethren.” They were loved by God and one another. They didn’t always act too lovable, but they were beloved.
• These things are true of every brother in Christ: positionally their lives are characterized by holiness, faith, and love.
c. At any given moment, a brother might not be demonstrating those qualities, but over all, his life is characterized by such.
d. This brotherhood is different from any earthly fraternity. God’s fraternity, the family of God is characterized by genuine faith, holiness, and love. You can tell that they are my disciples by their love…
The Christian Brotherhood
1. The family of God.
a. Our Christian Family
• God is our Father; we are sons of God.
• We are also brothers and sisters.
• Eph. 2:19 – we used to be foreigners to God and His family. Now we are fellowcitizens with the saints and of the household of God… God’s family… a brotherhood of believers in Christ.
• Col. 1:2 – brethren with all those “IN Christ”…
» This includes EVERY person in this age who is born again.
» This includes those of like precious faith… in doctrinally sound, Biblical, Christ exalted churches.
» It also includes those who are mixed up in their understanding of the Scriptures – there are some folks still in the mainline denominations who may not be taught well from Scripture, but some are genuine believers in Christ… and part of the family of God.
» It’s a BIG family… brothers in Christ worldwide.
2. Entered by means of the new birth (John 1:12-13)
a. One does not become a son of God because his parents were Christians.
b. One does not become a son of God through the will of mere human flesh… a desire to be a Christian and attendant efforts.
c. One does not become a son of God because of the will of man. It is not conferred upon a person by a priest or a minister.
d. The new birth is a supernatural work of God. It is a BIRTH.
e. We are born sinners (and as Jesus said, “ye are of your father the devil)… and must therefore be born again into God’s family.
f. God’s promise is this: if we will BELIEVE on Christ, God will give us eternal life… a spiritually dead man is made alive… that is likened to a birth… when our spiritual life begins… at the moment of saving faith.
Family Problems
1. The early church family had its share of disputes…
a. Acts 15:5-11 – the brethren were disputing – arguing over issues that arose about circumcision… which really impinged upon the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
b. The brotherhood in Jerusalem was battling over doctrine. This battle nearly resulted in TWO churches: one Gentile and one Jewish.
c. Jews and Gentiles have very different views on virtually every issue under the sun.
d. It was resolved when Peter and James stood up as God’s spokesmen and spoke forth God’s Word. End of debate!
e. Interestingly, in Acts 15, the chapter that deals with the difficulties that arose in the early church, the author uses the term “brethren” 15 times – as a reminder to all!
f. Paul warned the elders at Ephesus that doctrinal error would arise from among them! (Acts 20:29-30)
g. We should expect it here too… and be ready to deal with it in a Biblical manner.
• In the early church there was ONE doctrine… the truth.
• If a church strayed from the truth, the apostles descended upon them and straightened out the error… as in Acts 15.
• Today, we have no apostles, and error abounds… and so does denominationalism… each with their own doctrinal positions.
• That never would have been tolerated in the early church… but we don’t live in the early church. We live in the end times… God’s egg has been scrambled… and there is no way to completely unscramble an egg. So, in many ways, we have to deal with what is… rather than with what should be.
• If doctrinal error is rejected in one church, the teachers will start another church down the road… with a new teaching.
• We can’t change what our brothers are doing in other churches, but we ARE responsible to protect the doctrinal position of this church.
• And that is SURE to cause strife sooner or later. The best way to be ready to refute error is to KNOW the truth.
• We are a brotherhood of those who stand “one in hope and doctrine, one in charity!”
2. The early church family included spiritually minded believers and carnal believers.
a. I Cor. 1:11 – divisions because of carnality.
b. Problems arose because some brothers in the church family liked one speaker better than another… this was the early stages of denominationalism… a plague and blight on the churches!
c. But the carnality did not stop there. They actually were suing one another! (I Cor. 6:1)
d. The church at Corinth was a brotherhood… a family… but not a healthy family. It was at times a dysfunctional family.
e. They were brothers in Christ, but brotherly love did not always continue in that assembly.
f. The family members were divided… and often butting heads.
g. What a miserable testimony to the young people growing up in that church and to the community!
h. Is Christ divided? That was the message they were sending. What a miserably sick condition the Body of Christ is in today. God help us!
i. It’s amazing that anyone got saved in that city with the track record of that church… but they did.
j. Being carnally minded upsets the brotherhood. Being spiritually minded is like the balm of Gilead applied to the assembly.
• The carnal Israelites were constantly murmuring and causing trouble for Moses in the camp…
• The carnal believer is constantly murmuring and causing trouble in the local church today too.
• But he who is spiritual discerns all things. He is discerning enough to see how destructive carnal, self-will is to an assembly… to the brotherhood of believers.
• The spiritually minded man is willing to be personally defrauded for the good of the brotherhood… he is willing to suffer loss for the good of the family of God…
k. What kind of a brother are you? Problems WILL arise in the family of God at Salem Bible Church.
• Are you going to be like the carnal believer who murmurs and adds fuel to the fires of controversy?
• Or are you going to be like the spiritually minded man who is willing to suffer for the good of the brotherhood… the Body?
3. The family included brothers with differing convictions
a. Rom. 14:10 – some brothers judged one another wrongly.
b. Some of the issues that caused trouble to the brotherhood were eating meats offered to idols, supporting widows, Jewish holy days, to name a few.
c. There has always been a whole host of issues about which believers have held various convictions.
• Convictions based on Scripture are GOOD.
• Last Sunday it was good to hear how the Lord led our brother Ron and his family to develop their personal convictions.
• We can only pray that more of God’s people held convictions based on Scripture.
• Yet if we have been saved for five minutes or longer, we are all acutely aware of the fact that not all believers AGREE on their convictions… even though their conflicting convictions are based on the same Biblical principles.
• We are brothers, but brothers often hold differing convictions… because convictions are personal application of principles… and one principle can be applied in many different ways.
• This caused trouble for the brethren in the 1st century, and it is still causing trouble for the brethren in the 21st century.
• Even in this little church, I am aware of at least a dozen or so areas where believers here hold differing convictions on various issues.
d. Rom. 14:15 – Paul made it clear that the issues themselves were relatively insignificant. What mattered was the effect it had on our brothers and sisters in Christ! Sometimes our actions can grieve a brother… or cause him to stumble… ruin him! (vs. 20)
e. Vs. 19 – we ought to be seeking to build up our brothers, not tear them down… even if they have a different set of convictions on non-doctrinal and non-moral issues.
f. What kind of a brother are you?
• One who demands his own way even if it hurts another brother? This is the mind of the flesh.
• Or one who is willing to sacrifice the exercise of his rights for the good of our brothers in Christ? This is the mind of Christ.
4. The family included both rich and poor; bond and free.
a. Can you imagine the family problems that arose in the early churches when one considered that some in the church might be the wealthy land owners who lived in luxury… and others those who worked their fields all day in the hot sun and were paid precious little?
b. Can you imagine the controversies that might arise in a church where one man in the church might OWN another man and his family?
c. Slaves and masters were part of the household of God… the brotherhood… (Col. 3:22; 4:1)
d. Imagine the undercurrent of grumbling… slandering… complaining… resentment and bitterness that must have flowed out of this unseemly situation in the early churches?
e. In Colosse, there WERE such distinctions in the brotherhood.
f. Yet, in Christ, there were no such distinctions. (Gal. 3:28)
g. There can still be a measure of trouble that enters the brotherhood over money, social status, and position in the local church.
h. May it never be the case here.
i. “My brethren, have not the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons.” (Jas. 2:1) This should never be because we are BRETHREN!
j. We live in the world and there will always be different levels of income… different positions in the workplace… differing social status among believers… but when we gather for worship – we leave it all at the door. Here, we are family… brethren… and the only important Person in this place is Christ – the HEAD of the Body.
k. And He is not ashamed to call us brethren! (Heb.2:11-12 – ?“For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,? 12?Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.”
Family Responsibilities
1. Faithful to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ
a. Gal. 6:10 – we are responsible to do good things to ALL men, but especially to the household of God… the family… to the brotherhood of the saints!
b. I Tim. 5:1 – we are to treat believers like family… (the context means that we should treat one another with respect and purity).
c. Philemon 16 – no longer just a servant (earthly relationship) but a brother (a heavenly and eternal relationship).
2. Faithful not to offend or cause to stumble
a. Rom. 14:13, 21 – don’t put a stumbling block before a brother
• Even if you’re in no danger of stumbling over that stone, what about others?
• How will your actions affect your brothers in Christ?
• We are not islands. We are a family… a brotherhood.
b. I Cor. 8:11 – your knowledge of your liberties in Christ could cause a weaker brother to stumble. It is better to give up the exercise of that right for his sake.
c. I Cor. 8:12 – When we DO offend the brotherhood, we sin against Christ. There is an inseparable union between Christ and the “brethren in Christ Jesus”, His Body.
d. What kind of a brother are you?
• Are you the kind of brother who doesn’t care that he is part of a brotherhood of believers… and acts in such a way that might hurt or harm a brother in the Lord?
• Or are you the kind of brother who loves JC so much that you are willing to forgo a liberty for the good of your brother… just because he is a brother… and because sinning against a brother is sinning against Christ!?
3. Faithful in exhorting
a. Acts 15:3 – bring great joy to the brethren.
• We are not traveling missionaries, but we can share what great things God is doing in our lives.
• We do that virtually every Sunday night… in our testimony time.
• I consider our testimony time on Sunday nights like a family sitting around the kitchen table sharing what took place during the day… only this is the family of God sharing together in the things of Christ…
b. Acts 15:32 – exhort (parakaleo) and confirm (render firm; strengthen; establish).
• Don’t you want a strong, vibrant family?
• If you see a family member going astray – go get him!
c. Acts 20:32 – faithful in commending one another to the Word of God which is able to build you up.
• We are brothers. Our brotherhood is a spiritual fraternity built upon the Word of God.
• We are not an earthly fraternity… built upon the fact that we attended the same school… or are all engaged in the same earthly occupation…
• Our brotherhood is based upon our like precious faith in God’s Word.
• The best thing we can do for one another is to commend others to God’s Word… share a passage that God used in your life… point out a verse that might be a help to our brother in the Lord…
• The Bible is able to build him up in the faith.
d. Rom. 15:14 – able to admonish one another – but first be full of goodness… good intentions… good methods… a good spirit… and to admonish, one must know Christ and His Word.
• Are you able to admonish?
• II Thess. 3:14 – admonish AS a brother.
4. Faithful in ministry
a. I Cor. 15:16 – saints and brethren – addicted to the ministry of the saints.
• We have folks here who are addicted to ministering to the saints. That’s how the Body works. Aren’t you glad your heart is addicted to pumping your blood… and your organs are addicted to functioning as designed by God?
b. II Cor. 11:9 – faithful in providing for the needs of the brethren.
c. I John 3:17 – if you have this world’s goods… and shut up your bowels of compassion on a brother…
d. III John 5-6 – thou doest faithfully… to the brothers.
5. Faithful in warning
a. Rom. 16:17 – warn brethren to avoid false teachers – because you love the brethren.
• Those who warn are often accused of NOT loving the brethren and being judgmental.
• In reality, those who warn are demonstrating a love for the sheep by warning of wolves…
• A brother won’t let a brother get torn apart by a wolf if he can help it! That’s brotherly love…
b. Psa. 141:5 – let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness.
c. Prov. 27:6 – faithful are the wounds of a friend
6. Faithful in showing brotherly love in other ways too…
a. I Thess. 4:9-10 – they knew this instinctively, but were to increase in it more and more.
b. Philemon 7 – the bowels of the saints are refreshed by this brother
c. I John 3:16 – we ought to be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren.
d. I John 4:21 – if you love God, you must love the brothers. The two are connected.
e. I John 3:14 – loving the brotherhood is a mark of a true believer (we KNOW that we have passed from death unto life…)
f. I Pet. 1:22-23 – being born again, one is able to demonstrate unfeigned love of the brethren. It comes naturally.
g. I Pet. 2:17 – love the brotherhood. That’s an order!
h. II Pet. 1:7 – add to godliness brotherly kindness…
• If not, we are blind and cannot see afar off (lose discernment).
• Holding grudges against the brethren is not only harmful to the brotherhood (a bad spirit), but it will RUIN you spiritually!
• You will regress spiritually… and become blind and dull of hearing… setting yourself up for a big fall.
• For your own spiritual well being – be a faithful brother… and continually be adding to godliness, brotherly kindness.
i. I have observed countless expressions of brotherly kindness in this assembly… and I say this to the glory of God working in us.
• And I am also prepared for the person who comes with a grumbling spirit and says, “There is no love here.”
• I know just what I’ll say: “If I can show you a list of 400 expressions of brotherly love and kindness in the last year or so, will you publicly apologize to the congregation for your self-centered words of slander against your brethren?” (I wouldn’t really say that to anyone… but I might be tempted to!)
• But as Paul said to the Thessalonians, let’s increase, more and more. There is no ceiling for expressions of brotherly love. And what a powerful testimony that is to the world.
7. Faithful in bearing one another’s burdens
a. Gal. 6:1, 2 – brethren bear one another’s burdens.
b. Why should we bear the burdens of others when we have plenty of our own? Because we are brethren! Family!
c. “He ain’t heavy. He’s my brother.”
d. If a brother is down and hurting, it is our responsibility as family… as his brother to help carries that burden.
e. A warning concerning the brotherhood of believers: it COSTS you to get involved in the lives of this family.
• As Christians our greatest joys are going to be found in helping and ministering to our brothers in Christ.
• But it is also true that some of our deepest wounds and greatest sorrows will also be found in our involvement in the lives of our brothers in Christ.
• As a family, we rejoice with those who do rejoice – their joys and victories become ours!
• As a family, we weep with those who weep because their sorrows are shared by us.
• Joy and sorrow are both included in being a part of the family of God… at least an involved member of the family.
• Unfortunately, many believers enter into the family wrongly assuming that it should be all roses and sunshine… they want to share in all the family joy… but are unwilling to enter into the family sorrows and suffering.
• Those who are unwilling to suffer in being part of this great family will be excluded from sharing very deeply in the true JOY of the Lord.
• Christianity will be quite bland and superficial to them… they won’t experience the great sorrows the family experiences, and neither will they experience the great joys either!
• The two go hand in hand… as we invest our lives into the lives of our brethren.
• Theirs will be a lukewarm Christian life… uninvolved… standing off on the sidelines… at an arm’s length from their brothers… a cordial acquaintance perhaps, but not experiencing all that is involved in a true BROTHERHOOD.
f. Does that sound like YOU?
• If so, then perhaps some changes are in order.
• I know that believers often have painful experiences – with other believers… and for some, that has caused them to turn inward… to stay away from involvement in the brotherhood of believers… so as to avoid being hurt again.
• I can’t tell you that you won’t be hurt again. In fact, to be honest, the Bible indicates that you probably WILL be hurt again… but it’s worth it!
• No pain, no gain. Glory is always preceded by a cross… enjoying the resurrection life… the abundant life is always preceded by death to self… death to the world…
• God never intended the believer to live the Christian life alone… or me and my family alone…
• Of course we have responsibilities to our earthly family. How much MORE to our spiritual family in Christ?
• III John 4 – no greater joy — than to see his children walking in the truth.
» It is legitimate to apply this to our earthly, biological children. That is a great joy. That is a good application.
» But the interpretation is that the greatest joy comes from watching our spiritual children… our spiritual family grow and walk in the truth!
» John was speaking of believers in Christ… an assembly of Christians…
» Since our greatest joy will come from watching our spiritual family grow and walk in the truth, then doesn’t it make sense to be INVOLVED in all that is needed to keep that family walking in the truth?
» Doesn’t it make sense to pour our lives into the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ… since their well being results in our greatest joy?
» I Thess. 3:8 – Consider Paul’s words: “Now we LIVE if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
» Paul experienced a level of joy in the Lord that few will ever experience. Why? Because he invested his life and soul into the lives of his spiritual family… He spent and was spent for them.
» Phil. 2:17 – Paul joyed and rejoiced with them all. Why? Because he poured out his life as a drink offering… as a sacrifice and a service to aid in their faith. The result: a joy few will ever know.
» I Thess. 2:2-8 – But don’t forget his sufferings at Philippi! This man poured his heart and soul into the family of God in that city…
» Involvement in the lives of our brothers in the Lord gives meaning, depth, satisfaction, and contentment to life. Sure, it means suffering with them, but also rejoicing in all their joys.
g. Do you remember our missionary sister in Christ who came last Sunday night, Tory Barret?
• As she ministers in Zambia, and pours her life into the suffering saints in that place, she is going to experience grief and sorrow beyond anything we could imagine.
• But she will also experience a JOY in the Lord and an abundant life that will result from her involvement in believers in that place. That’s a life worth living.
• She doesn’t have to go there. She doesn’t have to suffer, watching young people she grows to love in the Lord die of aids, one after another.
• She doesn’t have to put herself through all that… but she will… because that young lady knows something that God wants us ALL to know: Believers in Christ worldwide are a FAMILY of God… our brotherhood… and being part of any family has its times of sorrow and also times of great joy… and it also carries with it certain responsibilities.
• She is going to Zambia that others might come to know Christ in a saving way, and be brought into the family of God by faith… and so that she can minister to them for the glory of God.
• Their sorrows will become hers. Their burdens will become hers. Their joys and victories will also become hers.
h. God calls some to be missionaries. But you know, God may not want everyone to go to Zambia. But He does want every one of His children to be involved in the lives of those who are part of His spiritual family… involved in the lives of this great brotherhood in Christ. That is a life worth living – regardless of the geography.
8. Faithful to the Local Church
a. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4: )
b. Ps. 133:1-3 – how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Settling Family Problems
a. In our earthly families, you settle family squabbles at the kitchen table. You don’t blab your problems all over town… unless you are trying to hurt your family and “burn your own house down.” Sensible people settle family squabbles at home… and those squabbles don’t ever leave the walls of that home.
b. In the local church there will be family squabbles too.
c. I Cor. 6:1-8 – in the family of God we aren’t to blab our problems all over town.
• Why? Because we are saints and brethren. We ought to be able to settle such problems “at home”… in the church.
• Family problems in the church family ought to be resolved at the church’s kitchen table too…
• And even if you think the outcome wasn’t fair, it’s better to turn the other cheek and be defrauded rather than to ruin the testimony of the local church.
• We are a family… a brotherhood. Every family will have its spats and squabbles. Not every family deals with them in a proper manner… a manner FITTING those who are saints and brethren. That is what destroys our testimony in the world.
d. I John 2:9 – if you hate your brother, you are walking in darkness.
e. Gen.13:8 – the reason Abram gave for not disputing was the fact that they were brethren.
Introduction:
1. The Bible indicates that the believer has two addresses… one earthly, and one heavenly… two spheres of existence… our earthly city and our heavenly position…
2. Paul introduced many of his epistles in this manner:
a. Col. 1:2 – “at Colosse… in Christ.”
b. I Cor. 1:2 – “at Corinth… in Christ Jesus.”
c. Phil. 1:1 – “saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi.”
d. Eph. 1:1 – “at Ephesus… in Christ Jesus.”
3. Today we are going to take a look at this dual citizenship Paul so often speaks of… and take a look at some of its implications.
At Colosse
1. First of all, Paul addresses the believers as living in the city of Colosse.
2. Colosse was located:
a. Lycus River Valley in what is now Turkey.
b. 80-100 miles inland from Ephesus.
c. Only a few miles from Hierapolis (13 miles northwest) and Laodicea (11 miles west).
3. The CITY of Colosse.
a. At the time of this epistle, Colosse was not a large and important city like Ephesus.
b. It was not a cultural center; neither a political center; neither was it an economic center.
c. The church at Colosse was not a center for the faith – like the church in Jerusalem or Antioch.
d. The book of Acts which outlines the early church history doesn’t even mention the church at Colosse.
e. At the time of this writing, it was a rather run down city that had been outstripped by its two close neighboring cities, which also had churches (Hierapolis and the wealthy Laodicea).
f. The only reason we know of the city of Colosse today is because of the problems and divisions that arose in the church in this run down city… a problem that later developed into Gnosticism.
4. The saints and faithful brethren were at Colosse.
a. Most of them were probably born there. Many lived there all their lives. Some were transplants from other regions.
b. The men worked in Colosse. The children went to school in Colosse. The women shopped in the marketplace at Colosse. They built homes there. They established businesses in Colosse.
c. Some of the believers in Colosse probably did quite well selling their goods. Others struggled to put food on the table. Some built large, comfortable homes. Others lived in dreary apartments.
d. Some of their children went on to live for the Lord… some of the young people went off into the world and broke their parent’s hearts.
e. Some of the brethren in Colosse lived long, healthy lives. Others were sickly all their days… and struggled with one illness after another.
f. Some of the saints in Colosse were running around like a chicken with their head cut off… they were so busy they didn’t have time to think. Others sat around their homes lonely with no one to talk to all day…
g. Some had large families working the farm. There were probably some widows trying to make ends meet. Some of the old grandpas sat around the marketplace and told stories all day long…
h. When they went away to the big city of Ephesus on a family vacation, everyone could tell they were from Colosse – their Colossian accent gave them away!
i. They looked like Colossians… they talked like Colossians… they dressed like Colossians… you’d never mistake them for a Greek or an Egyptian.
j. Colosse is where these folks LIVED – day in and day out. It was HOME to these brethren.
k. And even though their city wasn’t famous, wasn’t prosperous, wasn’t a center for much of anything – it was HOME for these folks. It’s where they brought their kids up. It’s where grandma and grandpa were buried. It’s where they paid their taxes. It was home!
5. We are the saints and faithful brethren in Salem, New Hampshire.
a. Of course, there are other faithful brethren in this city who go to other Bible believing churches… we recognize that.
b. But like the folks addressed in this epistle, we are saints and brethren living in Salem… central New England.
c. We too have to live here on earth in our earthly city…
d. Our wives shop in local marketplaces… our kids go to school here… the men work in the factories, offices, run businesses here…
e. Some of the saints here run around like chickens with their heads cut off… too busy… and others sit around bored and lonely…
f. And when we go to Florida or Texas for vacation, they can tell we’re neither Floridians nor Texans. We have Yankee stamped on our foreheads.
g. Some of the saints do quite well economically. Others struggle to pay the bills month to month.
h. The believers in Salem aren’t much different than the saints and brethren at Colosse.
i. Times have changed. The geography is different. The culture is different. But basically, we are believers living in our earthly city… just like the believers at Colosse 2000 years ago.
6. The city of Colosse, like the town of Salem, is part of the world system… what Paul calls the “present evil world.”
a. Gal. 1:4 – the present evil world…
b. II Cor. 4:4 – Satan is the god of this world system.
c. I John 2:15-17 – we are not to love this world, for nothing in the world system is of the Father. None of it is eternal. It is all passing away… and we will leave it all behind. Don’t love it!
7. God has a purpose for His sons in the world… in their local Colosse:
a. Acts 1:8 – Here Luke states that God would send the disciples into the world and that they function as His witnesses…
• God has strategically placed His saints in neighborhoods, in office buildings, in schools, in factories, and even on soccer teams and baseballs teams… to function as a witness for Him before the lost.
• Everything we DO in our little Colosse ought to be done with this in mind. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God! Your fellow Colossians; or your fellow Salemites…are watching.
b. Phil. 2:15 – God has left us in this world to SHINE as lights in the world…
c. Matt. 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
d. God reared up a small body of believers in the city of Colosse. They were His witnesses in that location… to represent Him… to demonstrate the indwelling life of Christ to that community… to demonstrate what Christ can do in a yielded heart… how He can transform men, women, and children into His image… and to attract others in the city to their Savior.
e. That’s why we are here in Salem too… God’s purpose for the local church has not changed… God’s purpose for His saints and brethren has not changed…
f. We are God’s witnesses… a testimony to the truth…
g. We’re not here to change the world – but rather as a witness TO the world – and to call men OUT OF the world.
8. God not only has designed our presence in the world as a testimony FOR the world… He has also a purpose FOR US – as believers…
a. John 16:33 – in the world ye shall have tribulation.
• In Colosse, believers would experience all kinds of trials and tribulations.
• But Christ has overcome the world… and they were IN Him.
• Hence, knowing this marvelous position in Christ will enable us to deal with the world better… more level headed… clearer…
b. 1:10 – In Colosse, they WALKED. That’s where they lived their lives.
• They went to work there, school there, church there, and spent their days there.
• Their walk in Colosse was to be WORTHY – worthy of their position in Christ!
• We live in Salem – or Nashua, Atkinson, and some live in Mass.
• Yet, as believers, we are all in the same place – in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
• Our walk here on earth is to be WORTHY of that glorious position.
• Is your walk worthy?
c. 2:2 – in Colosse, their hearts needed comforting.
• Some of these folks had to bury their parents… some had to bury their children there…
• In Colosse, there were cases of adultery and immorality, some of the families they grew to know and love in the Lord broke up – and left many of these folks broken hearted…
• In Colosse, they had years when there was no fruit on the vine, the figs trees did not blossom, and there was no herd in their stalls… and they needed comfort and encouragement in those dreary days…
• And it isn’t any different today. We too get our hearts broken in Salem… in our little corner of the world. We too face the death of loved ones; we sorrow and grieve over the messes we see people make of their lives spiritually… our hearts needed comforting in our Colosse too.
d. 2:8 – Spiritual danger existed in Colosse too.
• There were false teachers who had influenced the believers in unbiblical ways.
• They introduced a blasphemous view of the Person of Jesus Christ… like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons of today…
• They were replacing sound doctrine from the Scriptures with the traditions of men.
• And sadly, some of the saints were gullible enough to swallow it… some were ignorant enough of the Bible to be led astray by them…
• There is spiritual danger as we live in our Colosse too.
• I Peter 5:8 – Satan still walks about Salem, (or other fallen spirits in his army) seeking to devour the believer… destroy us spiritually… to get us all mixed up spiritually and doctrinally. And sometimes, he is quite successful.
e. 3:5 – In Colosse, they had to deal with SIN in their lives.
• In Colosse, there was fornication… the filthiness of the flesh…
• In Colosse, there was covetousness… which is far worse than fornication… this is filthiness of the spirit… idolatry!
• They had to deal with their sin natures every single day… just like we do.
• Some of the saints in Colosse struggled with certain sins… and walked around as if they were defeated, spiritually.
• Some of us are still struggling with one sin or another at any given time… in the world… in our Colosse, we shall have tribulation.
f. 3:18-20 – this is recorded because in Colosse, there were believers who were experiencing family problems too.
g. 4:5 – In Colosse, some of the believers were not using wisdom; they were wasting their time on frivolous things…
• We do that today too…
• Too much time wasted on TV, games, pleasure, sleeping, amusements…
• Not enough time used for the Lord – witnessing; serving in the local church; ministering to the Body; doing good to all men…
h. 4:6 – in Colosse, some of the saints opened their mouths too often and got themselves in trouble… and stirred up trouble.
9. Colosse is where they lived, breathed, walked, talked, and died.
a. Colosse was their earthly home… and their earthly testing ground… their earthly training grounds…
b. Colosse is where they had to deal with all the issues of life…
c. Colosse is where they spent the time of their earthly sojourn.
d. The saints at Colosse (God bless them all!) walked with God and were faithful brethren… in varying degrees of faithfulness… in varying degrees of usefulness in God’s service… in varying degrees of maturity… in varying degrees of fruitfulness… but they lived their days in their earthly city… and then died — and went to be with the Lord.
e. Absent from their earthly body…and their earthly city – is to be present with the Lord.
f. We too are going to live the time of our earthly sojourn in our earthly city… being prepared for glory… prepared to stand before the Bema seat of Christ… and if the Lord should tarry – die here!
g. Our time on earth is important… God’s university, preparing us for eternity…
h. Only one life, will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last!
IN CHRIST
1. I Cor. 12:13 – At the moment of saving faith, the believers whose physical bodies were in Colosse were placed IN CHRIST spiritually.
a. Ron dealt with this subject a couple of weeks ago, so we won’t spend a lot of time on it today.
b. It is Spirit Baptism that places the believer IN Christ… we were IN Adam… and are now IN Christ – a new, eternal, and irreversible position.
c. Spirit baptism began on the Day of Pentecost, and at that time the entire group of believing Jews in Jerusalem were placed into Christ – the Body of Christ – the Church.
d. Pentecost marked the birthday of the church – and it began with Spirit baptism.
e. Each and every believer experiences Spirit baptism the MOMENT he places his faith in Christ today.
f. It isn’t something that is felt… (not that kind of experience).
g. It is the work GOD does in us… whether we are aware of it or not.
h. The only way we KNOW that it occurred is by reading the New Testament – and BELIEVING what God said.
i. If you are born again – if you have received Christ as your personal Savior – then you have already been baptized by the Spirit … placed IN Christ… made a member of the Church universal.
2. Some other results of being IN Christ…
a. 1:18 a – Those in Christ are UNITED with Him as members of His Body
b. 2:12-13 – we died, were buried, and rose again with Him.
c. 2:20 – he bases his teachings on the fact that we died with Christ.
d. 3:1 – he also bases his exhortations on the fact that we rose with Christ… because we were IN HIM… fully identified with Christ…
e. We died to our old relationships (our old city – this world is not our true home)… and we are now alive as new creations in a NEW sphere of existence: IN Christ…
3. Things are very different in Christ.
a. Eph. 1:3 – they were seated in heavenly places in Christ – and blessed with all spiritual blessings!
b. II Cor. 5:17 – they were new creations in Christ Jesus.
c. Col. 3:3 – Their new lives were hidden with Christ in God.
d. Col. 3:4 – Christ was now their life.
e. Col. 3:10 – in Christ, they had already put on that new man.
f. Col. 3:11 – in Christ, there were no divisions, no social elites, no bond or free… but they were all one in Christ – and Christ was all in all TO them all!
g. Col. 2:10 – we are complete in Christ!
h. Col. 2:1 – in Christ, they had already put off the sins of the flesh. Positionally, the battle has been won. It is finished!
i. Col. 2:15 – because they were in Christ, they had already spoiled and triumphed over Satan and the host of evil. They were more than conquerors in Christ!
j. In Christ, things were very different than life in Colosse.
4. The Colossian believers (like all believers – even us!) had a DUAL citizenship.
a. They were citizens of Colosse… with all the implications of dwelling in an earthly city.
b. Phil. 3:20 – They were also citizens of heaven… seated in heaven in Christ positionally. (conversation = citizenship)
c. Not only were they citizens of heaven, but positionally, they had already been seated in heavenly places. It was as if they were in heaven already… in God’s mind.
d. The same is true of believers today. Our citizenship is in heaven… and it is so sure for believers, that the New Testament speaks of us as being there already… even though for the present time, we continue to dwell in our Colosse…our earthly city.
e. Everything is perfect in our heavenly home in Christ.
• There is no sin there… no suffering… no struggling.
• There are no divisions among God’s people there.
• There is no strife… no debate… no division.
• There are no false teachers… no confusion.
• There is no divorce… no family problems…no wayward children.
• There are no dreary days… no fruitless vines.
• In Christ, all of our enemies have been defeated.
• Seated in heavenly places in Christ.
• In Christ, there is no more suffering, no death, no more sorrow, no more tears.
• In Christ, the battle is won… the strife is o’r.
• Our position in Christ is perfect, settled, eternal, and unchangeable.
5. What a contrast between the believer being in Colosse (earthly city) and being in Christ (citizens of our heavenly city; seated; glorified; complete). Paul spoke of the two spheres in which we live:
a. At Colosse… In Christ
b. Earthly… heavenly
c. Physical… spiritual
d. Physical birth, spiritual birth
e. Local… universal
f. Temporal… eternal
g. Body… heart and mind
h. Tribulation; battles, conflict; fighting the good fight… eternal REST and peace!
The Conflict
1. This dual citizenship always causes conflicts in the believer’s life.
a. There always has been and always will be (till the Lord comes) a conflict of interests… conflicting motives… conflicting schedules… conflicting purposes… conflicting viewpoints…
b. Phil. 1:21-24 – Paul felt these inner conflicts acutely.
• To him, Christ was life. His life was hidden with Christ.
• On the one hand, to die and depart his earthly city would be great gain. He had an inward DESIRE to depart and be with Christ.
• Yet, on the other hand, he knew that God had a purpose for his life in his earthly city – to minister to others for the glory of God.
• This was not a morbid desire to die – nor was this an expression of discouragement, like Elijah. This was a godly desire to be with Christ which grew out of a love for the Lord. Period! It was healthy!
• We have probably all felt this conflict at one time or another.
• Perhaps what it takes is some bad news from the doctor to make this a bit more vivid… news that you have cancer and might not make it much longer… news that you have some other disease, and you probably won’t live long…
• That has a way of awaking us to a whole new outlook on life…
• Kids – even spiritually minded kids – don’t think of the closeness of heaven… as being but a breath away. They can know it intellectually – but it takes age and maturity and time for it to really sink in… that we are but mere mortals!
• The conflict Paul describes is NOT between staying here on earth and leaving because you are sick and tired of all your troubles… but rather, the conflict is between a love for serving God in our earthly city… and an inner longing to be with Christ in glory!
2. Consider some of the conflicts that arose because of the difference between being IN Christ, and yet still AT Colosse.
a. Earthly… heavenly city
• Matt. 6:19-20 – conflict in laying up treasures… for our retirement on earth, or for our eternity in heaven?
• Let’s face it. We have conflicts in this area. We are often pulled in two different directions.
• In Colosse, we often love the world; in Christ, we love the things of the Lord – and there is often a PULL…
• But our heavenly city is home… we are to be seeking that city which hath foundations – whose builder and maker is God!
• We are pilgrims and sojourners in our earthly city. Are you growing in your recognition of this truth?
b. Physical… spiritual city…
• Are we more concerned about our physical health or our spiritual health?
• Listen to the prayer requests on Wednesday night.
• Are we more concerned that our children make in the world – with a good paying job, or are we more concerned that they “make it” spiritually?
• But as time goes on – we are to be continually abiding in Christ… entering into that holy place of communion – where our hearts are weaned away from the physical realm – and where we learn the value and importance of the spiritual realm…
c. Physical birth, spiritual birth
• We entered our earthly city by means of a physical birth.
• We enter into our new relationship to God… we are new creations “in Christ” by means of the new or spiritual birth.
• And doesn’t this create conflicts between our earthly family (who may not understand our faith in Christ) and our spiritual family…
• They may not understand why you put going to church to be with your spiritual family BEFORE going to their annual Superbowl party on Superbowl Sunday! You always USED to go to their party before you were saved!
• Jesus said that a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. Being born again… the spiritual birth and our spiritual family creates conflict at times with our earthly families…
• This is especially true in countries like China and Saudi Arabia where Christians are persecuted openly.
• As we mature in the Lord, we discover that our spiritual family is our real family…
• Immature believers come to a church looking for people their own age… with their own interests… sports… activities etc. But as we mature, we discover that fellowship is based upon our love for the Lord – where age or gender means nothing… where social status and race mean nothing… but Christ is all and all!
d. Body… heart and mind
• Our Colosse is home for our body… it needs to be fed, bathed, clothed, and cared for in our Colosse.
• But as believers, while our bodies live in our earthly city, our hearts and minds ought to be in our heavenly position in Christ…
• Col. 2:20-23 – here Paul states that the Colossians died to the world’s way of doing things…
» Yet some of the Colossians were still acting in a worldly manner –
» They were thinking the way the world thinks: if I don’t taste this, and don’t touch that, and don’t handle this – if I concentrate on the externals – and LOOK the part, then I will be holy and acceptable to God.
» That is a legalistic form of asceticism… it is a false humility and a false spirituality… and it is one of main purposes for the book of Colossians – to expose that error.
• Our bodies dwell in our earthly cities – and God’s Word tells us HOW to deal with the issues of living in a body of flesh in a sin cursed earth.
• The world’s methods do not help – they hinder! Check the Bible!
• Our bodies struggle to remain pure in a filthy world… and our hearts and minds are more and more attracted to that far better land…
• Col. 3:1-4 – we need to continually remind ourselves that we died to this world, and we have been raised into a new sphere of living…
• We have a continual conflict between setting our affection on the shiny new and attractive things of our earthly city… vs. setting our affection on things above.
• Our bodies live down here… but our hearts and minds dwell above.
• This creates tension and struggles at times.
• Sometimes in one home, there are some family members who are more heavenly minded than others… conflicts arise!
• Sometimes within our own hearts conflicts arise… we want to seek things above – but keep on getting dragged back down to earth…
• We want to serve one master, but, by the choice we make, we find ourselves serving two masters…
• You want to serve the Lord, but you have to work to survive… and your boss is making you work on Sundays next month… or you have to work late on Wednesday’s and can’t make prayer meeting… an inner conflict.
• You want to honor Christ – and your children who are not yet very heavenly minded want to skip church and go to an amusement park on Sunday… or a dog show… or a soccer game… or some other activity going on in Colosse… an all too common conflict…
e. Temporal… eternal
• Colosse was their temporal home; being in heavenly places in Christ is forever.
• II Cor. 4:16-17 – as we grow in the Lord, we discover that more and more we are looking not at the things which are seen (in our earthly city – I see the sights that dazzle; the tempting sounds I hear) but at eternal things…
• As time goes on, and our hearts are more and more attached to things above, our trials here seem light “for a moment”… and we focus more and more on things that really matter… on eternal things…
• Finally, the things of earth grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!
• This is the process of spiritual growth… what Paul wanted for the Colossian believers… and what God wants for all of us.
f. Local… universal
• Another contrast between being in Christ and at Colosse had to do with the church in that city.
• The saints in Christ Jesus mentioned in this verse were members of the Body of Christ.
» They were members of the universal church – the Body of genuinely born again believers worldwide… from the Day of Pentecost until the rapture.
» That was their position… unalterable… eternal.
» Thus, they were brothers with the believers in Ephesus, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Rome, Antioch, and wherever true believer might be found.
» They were also brothers with those believers in Christ who had died and were now in glory.
» Being in Christ meant they were part of the universal church…
• But they were also members of the local church – at Colosse
» Being part of the universal church is a wonderful truth…
» But when it comes to practical everyday living, the principles in the New Testament are only practiced at a local level.
» Members of the universal church, (ex: believers in China) aren’t the ones who are likely to gossip about you… or step on your toes… or offend your sensibilities…we don’t get upset over what believers in Moscow say… or what believers in Tahiti wear… or the kind of music believers in India listen to… or what kinds of entertainment believers in Ethiopia engage in…
» But we are acutely aware of those issues in our own local church – the church at Colosse or Salem!
» We don’t have to practice forgiveness with believers in Brazil; we don’t have to overlook an indiscretion of believers in Alaska; we don’t have to bear the burdens of believers in Argentina… but we DO have to practice those principles/responsibilities for believers in our own local setting…
3. We are dwelling above in Christ – but we practice our Christianity in Salem… in our earthly city.
a. Here in the local setting is where the rubber meets the road… where we put our faith into action…
b. There will always be a bit of tension between our position and our condition… between the earthly and the heavenly… between our eternal home (heaven) and our temporal home… between being in Christ… and at Colosse…
c. There will always be a source of conflict between the two – between living for this world… and the world to come… laying up treasures on earth as opposed to laying up treasures in heaven…
d. We will always sense a pull in both directions… having a desire to depart and be with Christ… yet a need to remain here and serve Him…
e. Hence, we need to be careful to maintain a proper balance in our Christian lives.
» Some might tend to live in the theoretical… in the heavenly city… so caught up in our glorious position in Christ… that we are of little practical use at Colosse… and hence, some don’t get involved in the local church for that reason. They live in an ivory tower and forget that our feet are upon the earth.
» But far more likely is the probability that we are too caught up in our earthly home – and are not dwelling in the heavenlies as we ought!
» Too often, we as believers are dragged down to earth and live a very mundane, earthly life – with little attention given to heaven and spiritual things… we live for today and forget about tomorrow… like Esau.
» Oh for that holy balance… where our minds and hearts dwell in heavenly places… yet we never forget that our feet… our bodies… and our brethren… dwell at Colosse… in our earthly city – with all of its struggles and needs.
4. What will KEEP us in that proper balance?
a. Heb.10: Entering into the holy of holies with God – day by day… communion… fellowship… worship…
b. John 15: Abiding in Christ… abiding in the Vine and partaking of all that He is…
c. Rom. 6:13 – reckoning self to be dead to the world and alive unto God… and yielding our members to Him…
d. Gal. 2:20 – remembering that we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me…
e. Gal. 6:14 – But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world…
f. Eph. 4:1 – walk worthy of our high calling in Christ…
g. Phil. 1:21 – for to me to live is Christ… and to die is gain
h. Col. 3: seek those things which are above… for ye are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God
i. The New Testament repeatedly reminds us that we are IN CHRIST… and that truth should capture our minds and hearts…
j. When it really sinks in – it will transform our lives in our earthly city… and it will produce fruit…
k. By abiding in Christ and communing with Him – learning of His ways – we will thus manifest His life through our mortal bodies in our little Colosse.
l. The more heavenly minded we become, the more of the sweet character of Christ and fruit of the Spirit will be manifested through us…
m. Our real life is hidden with Christ in God. The distractions of Colosse – our earthly city seek to draw us away from that place of communion and fellowship.
n. HEREIN lies the real battle of the Christian life: Abiding in Christ… and refusing to allow the cares of life below to distract us from that sweet fellowship and worship… out of which flows a spiritually fruitful life… Christ in us – the hope of glory!
Introduction:
1. Vs. 1-2 contain the salutation to the epistle.
2. Beginning in vs. 3, Paul begins the body of the letter.
3. As he did in Ephesians, Paul begins by blessing God and praying for God’s people.
4. The sentence begun in vs. 3 ends in vs. 17. (Run-on sentence by modern English standards!)
5. Paul thanks God in his prayers for three things mentioned:
a. For the faith of Colossians in Christ Jesus
b. For their love to all the saints…
c. And for their hope which is laid up for them in heaven.
• Some may want to outline this a bit differently – and see only two causes for the thanksgiving: faith and love…and hope as that which motivates the faith and love…
6. This is a common trilogy in the New Testament: faith, hope, and charity or love.
The Giving of Thanksgiving (vs.3)
A. The Term: εὐχαριστέω – eucharist-é-oh
1. Defined: Thankful; to express gratitude; to show oneself grateful; give thanks.
2. WE: First person plural: Paul and Timothy his brother (vs.1).
3. Present indicative: indicates continual action…
a. Paul and Timothy prayed and thanked God continually for the believers in Colosse.
b. Paul prayed and thanked God for believers daily… consistently… week after week, month after month… continually.
B. The Form of thanksgiving: Prayer
1. The form of this thanksgiving was prayer; a prayer of thanksgiving.
2. Praying:
a. The sentence reads: We give thanks to God… praying…
b. Prayer is the WAY Paul thanked God here.
c. It was a prayer of thanksgiving.
3. Praying: proseuxomenoi
a. Present participle: continually praying…
• The present participle tells us two things:
• It tells us that the action is continuous (present tense).
• It tells us that the action of the participle occurs simultaneously with the action of the main verb: giving thanks.
b. Hence, the thanksgiving and the praying occurred concurrently. In other words, it was a prayer of thanksgiving.
c. Also, Paul continually gave thanks… and continually offering prayers of thanksgiving.
C. The Duration of the Prayer: Always
1. The present indicative indicated the continual nature of these prayers. The word “always” intensifies the thought.
2. Actually, the word “always” could be connected either to the prayer or to the giving of thanks.
a. It makes perfect sense either way…
b. It is grammatically correct either way…
c. And the meaning is quite similar either way… (since they occur together…)
3. It is mentioned often in the epistles that Paul prayed and thanked God “always.”
a. Eph. 1:16 – “I cease not to give thanks for you…”
b. Eph. 5:20 – “giving thanks always for all things…”
c. I Cor. 1:4 – “I thank my God always on your behalf…”
d. Phil. 1:3 – “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…”
e. I Thess. 1:2 – “We give thanks to God always for you…”
f. II Thess. 1:3 – “We are bound to give God thanks always for you brethren, as it is meet…”
g. Philem. 4 – “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers…”
h. He practiced what he preached: he “prayed without ceasing.”
i. HOW could he pray always for all the saints in all those places?
• Consider his life… he wrote from prison! He had nothing but time. He chose not to waste that time in jail. He prayed. They could lock up his body – but his mind and heart were in the heavenlies… and he took the saints to the throne of grace daily.
• Consider his life when he was free… he walked from city to city… all over the region… and he prayed as he walked… praying for the believers in Colosse… in Ephesus… in Philippi… etc.
• We too should utilize our time like this… in prayer!
• Pray for the saints as you drive down 93 all alone and are stuck in traffic. As you do your exercise routine… as you wash the car… mow the lawn…
• Pray for the saints as you mop the floor or do the dishes. Pray for the saints as you do other tedious chores around the house. Redeem the time for the days are evil!
• We could murmur about the traffic… or complain about the dishes to do… OR we could PERCEIVE that to be precious time God has afforded us to PRAY… that our brothers in Christ might be strengthened… and would continue to walk by faith.
• We all know way too many believers who are no longer walking by faith. Perhaps things would be different if we prayed.
4. Consistency ought to characterize our prayer lives too.
a. It should be a habit… a good habit.
b. Prayers of thanksgiving ought to be daily…
c. Prayers of thanksgiving ought to continue in sunshine and in rain… in times of joy and in times of sorrow.
d. I Thess. 5:18 – In EVERYTHING give thanks. This is God’s will concerning YOU (and me!)
• Prayers of thanksgiving are not be sent to heaven only when God blesses us with good days. We are to continue our prayers of thanksgiving in EVERYTHING…good days and bad.
• This is God’s will.
• We seem to stress out over whether it’s God’s will for us to buy a Chevy or a Ford… whether we should buy the green house or the yellow house…
• I don’t know if it’s God’s will for you to buy the Chevy or the Ford – but I do know this. It is God’s will for us to give thanks to God… whether that car runs well or turns out to be a lemon!
• Continual prayers of thanksgiving – that’s God’s will.
• Are you walking in God’s will? Are prayers of thanksgiving coming forth from your lips on a regular basis?
D. The One Addressed: God the Father
1. His prayers were to “God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. The word “and” does not appear in some manuscripts. (Not God AND the Father, but God the Father…)
3. The prayers are addressed to God the Father – just as the Lord Jesus told us to pray.
a. John 16:23-24 – Jesus taught His followers not to pray to Him after His resurrection. Rather, we are to pray to the Father — in His name… and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
b. The “form” of prayer He left for His disciples also used this address: Our Father who art in heaven…
c. Thus the prayer, “Dear Jesus, please help me…” is not according to the pattern of prayer Jesus Himself left for us!
d. As the God-Man, Jesus is the Mediator between God and Man.
4. Paul prayed according to the pattern left by Christ – he prayed to the Father… not to the Holy Spirit and not to Jesus.
5. It just makes sense to pray to God the way He said to pray.
First Cause of Thanksgiving: For Their Faith (vs.4)
A. The Beginning of the Prayer: Since We Heard
1. Since we heard of your faith…
a. Paul heard a message concerning the church at Colosse.
• He heard a message concerning their faith, love for each other, and hope they had for future glory.
• Vs. 7-8 – The report came from Epaphras…
• Once he heard this report – he never stopped thanking God for the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse.
b. I Thess. 3:6-10 – Paul heard of the faith and love of the Thessalonian believers too.
• This report brought him great comfort…
• It enabled him to live (vs. 8).
• It brought him great JOY (vs. 9).
• It caused him to pray night and day – continually – that he might be able to see them and minister to them personally.
• Reports that the saints were walking with God is what made Paul tick… it is what he lived for…his LIFE revolved around their spiritual well being.
c. Eph. 1:15-16 – Paul also heard a similar message concerning the Ephesian believers.
• He heard of their faith and ceased not to thank God for them in his prayers.
• But Paul knew many of the Ephesian believers. He had spent much time in the city of Ephesus.
d. But apparently, Paul had never been to Colosse. (2:1 – they had not seen his face)
• He had never been there… he did not know those saints personally…
• But he heard a report… all he had to go on was a report…
• And the content of that report was cause for continual prayers of thanksgiving.
2. Reports concerning believers walking with God brought comfort, joy, and LIFE to Paul…
a. John had no greater joy than to hear that his spiritual children walked in the truth.
b. As we walk with God and demonstrate faith – we too can bring comfort, joy, and encouragement to those who are watching…
• To the pastor and elders in the local church; to your Sunday school teachers; to the other members of your local church; to all concerned!
c. We all know how discouraging it is to hear that brother in Christ has fallen into sin… or has stopped going to church… and is no longer walking with God… it discourages others.
d. But it is an encouragement to hear a good report about the new church starting up in Manchester… or a new believer that is growing like a weed…
e. That’s the kind of Christian we should strive to be… one whose faith and faithfulness encourages others… Is that you?
B. Your Faith in Christ Jesus
1. This is the first of 3 causes for Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving: their faith in Christ. (and love and hope)
2. The thanksgiving is offered because they were genuine believers: they had placed their faith in Christ Jesus.
a. We sing the song, “Thank you Lord for Saving My Soul.” Paul’s prayer was, “Thank you Lord for saving their souls!”
b. Paul was thanking God because he heard that their faith was real… they were genuinely born again… they were saints… and faithful brethren… cause for thanksgiving.
3. Paul never met these folks – but he knew that they were believers… brethren… family… he rejoiced in that.
4. We too should be continually including thanksgiving in our prayers for those who know Christ in a saving way… for the faith of each member of this body… and for those in other assemblies who are born again.
5. Now no doubt there were some believers in the Colossian church who were hard to get along with…
a. Some who probably talked too much…
b. Some who offended the sensibilities of others by their speech, clothing, or mannerism.
c. There were probably some believers who were grumblers… some who had a bitter spirit… a few who were holding grudges…
d. Paul didn’t have to know ALL those details. He didn’t know all the funny little quirks the believers in Colosse might have had. Sometimes it’s better not to know… but Paul was thanking God for the fact that they did have saving faith… they had faith in Christ Jesus.
6. Faith IN Christ.
a. There are two prepositions used to describe the relationship between faith and Christ.
b. Eis – a preposition of motion… “into” (going into something…)
• This is used in verses like John 3:16 – the passage literally speaks of believing INTO Christ…
• It speaks of the initial act of faith – putting faith INTO Christ…
• It sounds awkward in English, so it is translated “in” instead.
c. En – a preposition of resting… (not going into something… but BEING in already…)
• This speaks not so much of faith entering into… but faith resting IN its object… namely, Christ.
• They have already placed their faith into Christ, and now their faith rests in Him…
• This is the preposition that Paul uses in Col. 1:4.
• He speaks of their faith resting comfortably in Christ… on the Solid Rock.
• We might think of this as “trusting in”…
d. This may imply that Paul was not only thankful that they were saved… but that they were still trusting in Christ day by day… long after their salvation.
e. They were not only saved by faith, but were still walking by faith. (Cf. Col. 2:6 – this is a theme he later revisits.)
• We enter INTO life by faith… and our faith is to continue to rest on its solid foundation…
• We received Christ by faith – we put faith INTO Him.
• We are to walk in the same way – even so – by faith… faith should continue to rest in Him.
• We only need ONE initial act of faith to be saved (putting our faith INTO Christ).
• But once our faith is placed INTO Christ, it is to rest there… settle down there…
• Christianity is a life of faith…
f. Paul was thanking God in His prayers for the Colossians because they were LIVING this truth. He thanked God for their faith in Christ Jesus.
7. And note also the OBJECT of their faith: Christ Jesus.
a. Faith doesn’t save anybody. Only the Savior saves.
b. People in the world use the word “faith” incorrectly all the time… they speak as if faith itself had some merit or value. (You gotta have faith; keep the faith; everybody’s gotta have faith in something; have faith in yourself; and other clichés).
c. The world doesn’t understand what faith is… but WE should!
d. When it comes to being born again, often new believers worry about their faith… (did I have enough faith to be saved? Was my faith of the right caliber? A good enough quality? Strong enough?)
e. None of that is relevant in the least.
f. A person can have a ton of faith in his church… or a ton of faith in his own goodness… or a ton of faith in religious observances… but you will end up in the Lake of Fire forever – because your faith is resting on the wrong foundation.
g. Faith has no intrinsic value itself. Faith has no substance; no value; It only derives its value from the object upon which it rests.
• A man might have the utmost faith in a bank… and may put all of his savings in that bank.
• But it isn’t faith that keeps his money safe – it’s the bank! IF the bank is good, his money is safe.
• And if the bank is unreliable, he could lose his shirt – no matter how much faith he has in that bank.
• The same is true in the spiritual realm.
• Rom. 10:11 – “Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”
» The one who puts his life’s savings in a bank that goes under… or the man who invests his life’s savings in a fraudulent get rich quick scheme – and looses it all WILL be ashamed. “How could I have been so foolish as to fall for that?”
» But the one who places his faith in Christ… a rock solid foundation… will never be ashamed.
» He will be happy and will be rejoicing forever that he made such a wise choice!
» Those who put their faith in a church to save them… or put their faith in religious observances… or in their own sense of self worth WILL be ashamed… when they end up in the Lake of Fire forever… and regret forever their folly – “How could I have been so foolish as to ignore the gospel message?” Ashamed forever.
» But none who put their faith in Christ will ever be ashamed.
h. The strongest faith in self effort will only condemn a man. But the feeblest faith placed in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ will save a man forever!
i. The Colossians had placed their faith in Christ – and their faith was resting comfortably upon the Solid Rock.
j. Paul was sure that the faith they placed INTO Christ was still there… proof that the initial act of faith was genuine!
k. Col. 2:21-23 – their faith CONTINUED… proof that it was genuine… it wasn’t just a superficial, an instant outward display of faith… like the seed planted on rocky soil – that seemed to have life – but when the sun came out, it vanished away!
l. Their faith was genuine…it continued… and Paul knew that they were “saints and faithful brethren.”
m. And that was cause for a prayer of thanksgiving!
8. So why praise God for their faith? Shouldn’t Paul have praised the believers for their faith? After all, it was they and not God who exercised that faith!
a. Our faith has no value whatsoever. Its only value lies in the object upon which it rests… upon the Solid Rock of the finished work of Christ.
b. Salvation is of the Lord… from start to finish.
• It was the Father who sent His Son to die for us…
• It was the Father who planned our great salvation…
• It is God who works IN us both to will and to do of HIS good pleasure.
• It is GOD who promised “He that began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
• Hence, God gets all the glory for salvation – from start to finish.
• Paul wasn’t praising the believers for their mighty displays of faith. Rather, he was thanking God that their faith continued… as God assures us it will. Christ prays “that our faith fail not.”
• Gratitude goes to GOD for the salvation and continuance of the faith of the Colossian believers. To God be the glory… and to God be the praise and thanksgiving!
9. Note that the Father in this verse is not called “Our Father,” but the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. This is an especially Christian title for God…
b. In the Old Testament He was often referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
c. Neither one of the Biblical titles for God are politically correct today… because God is linked to either Judaism or Christianity.
d. Today folks like to speak about God in vague, fuzzy, generic terms… so as not to offend anyone… and not to associate God with anything specific…
e. Yet in the Bible, the titles GOD uses for Himself are quite specific – and intentionally offensive for those who reject the truth.
• He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – NOT of Esau. (Jacob have I love; Esau have I hated!) That’s quite offensive to the line of Esau, wouldn’t you say?
• He is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ – NOT of Buddha, Mohammed, or Confucius… but of Jesus Christ! All others are “thieves and liars” Jesus said. Quite offensive to non-Christians… and designedly so!
• The titles for God in the Bible are designed to put the God of the Bible in a class by Himself. (I am the Lord – and there is no other!)
• Don’t be fooled by cleverly worded language – (There is only one God right? Therefore, we are all worshipping the same God – just by different names!) That is a lie.
• The God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is NOT the same god as the Allah of Islam… or of any other religion.
• There are NOT many ways to God. Jesus Christ is the ONLY way… (John 14:6)
C. Prayers of Thanksgiving for the Faith of the Saints
1. Paul prayed always for the saints, AND he prayed specifically… for their faith.
a. Eph. 1:15-16 – Paul ceased not praying when he heard of the faith of the Ephesian believers.
b. Rom. 1:8 – Paul prayed and thanked God because the faith of the Romans was spoken of throughout the world! They trusted God – and the testimony of that spread… to the glory of God.
c. I Thess. 1:2 – Paul thanked God because the faith of the Thessalonian believers was expressed in good works!
d. I Thess. 3:6-7 – Their faith comforted Paul in his time of affliction. Thank God for that! It’s a good reminder in times of trials to have a fresh glimpse of the fact that other believers are facing trials – and they continue to walk by faith! So can we… for the same Christ lives in us!
e. II Thess. 1:3 – Paul thanked God when he heard that their faith was growing!
f. Philemon 4-6 – Paul thanked God for his faith and prayed that the sharing of his faith would be effectual…
g. Paul was interested in the FAITH of the believers… not so much their sore toes and aching backs… but their FAITH. That consumed much of his time in prayer and thanksgiving.
6. The Ephesian believers — like the Colossian believers — like us here in Salem, had their problems.
a. However, there is always cause to thank God for their faith.
b. Even those believers who rub you the wrong way… or who may have mistreated you in the past… there is always something for which you can thank God concerning their walk of faith.
c. Don’t let the failures and frailties of the saints BLIND you to the good work that God is doing in them.
d. Paul knew of some of the failures of the Colossian believers… but he thanked God for their faith… that much was good and worthy of thanksgiving.
e. There is always something in the life of another believer for which we can be thankful concerning their faith!
• Are they still walking with the Lord? Thank God!
• Are they still reading their Bibles so that God is able to strengthen their faith? Thank God!
• Are they still clinging to sound doctrine… THE faith? Thank God.
• Are they still going to church? Thank God!
• Do they still look to God in their trials? Thank God!
• Thank God for their faith…
• In spite of their many shortcomings – God is still at work in them… their faith is still resting on a solid foundation.
• Thank God for the faith they have – and pray that it would be strengthened!
f. I Cor. 1:4-8 – Paul found plenty of fault with the Corinthians. But he also found many things for which he could praise God! And he did so… and let them know about it too!
g. Paul addresses some of the faults of the Colossian believers too. BUT — he also thanks God for their good points: faith, hope, and love!
h. It’s easy to gossip about them… point out their bad points… or to ignore them… Paul prayed for them and thanked God instead.
i. This is a good reminder to parents as well…
• As parents, it’s easy to constantly dwell upon the faults of our children… constantly pointing them out – even nagging… because you want to see them corrected. Your intentions may be good… but consider your methodology.
• Don’t forget to thank God for their good points… if they are believers, for their faith… as weak and feeble as it may appear at times – thank God for it!
• And it’s not a bad idea to let our kids know that we are thanking God for their good points too! They need that word of encouragement… not just constant reminders of their failures!
3. WHY should we pray and thank God for the faith of the saints?
a. Because Satan walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
b. Satan seeks to undermine our faith in Christ… and cause us to put our faith and confidence in SELF… to lean on our own understanding… our own strength… so that we will FAIL.
c. We all know believers whose faith has grown weak… believers who are no longer walking by faith… and are thus being lured back to the ways of the world…
d. Eph. 6:12 – Paul prayed when he thought of their faith – because he knew that the believers in Colosse – like us – wrestle against spiritual wickedness in high places.
• And sometimes the spiritual wickedness wins the battle.
• They have lost the war – but they do win some of the skirmishes along the way.
• We have seen believers fall by the wayside in this spiritual battle.
• PRAY… who knows how many of US sitting here today might NOT be here… were it not for the prayers of the saints… that our faith fail not!
Introduction:
Paul heard of their love to the saints
1. Paul had not been to this church and did not know the people personally. But he HEARD a good report about them.
a. The report came from Epaphras (vs.7-8)
b. News of folks demonstrating the love of God travels!
2. Vs. 3 – Since he heard, he continually thanked God for it.
a. Cf. Eph. 1:15 – Paul said the very same thing about the saints in Ephesus. He also heard of their faith and love for all the saints.
b. The report of the love of the Ephesian saint’s caused Paul to thank God in his prayers.
c. God was thanked, praised, and thus glorified because these saints loved one another!
d. The same thing was true in Colosse… and the same thing can and should be true in Salem!
e. Their love for one another caused others to thank and praise God! (Cf. II Cor. 9:12)
• Their love offering caused the immediate recipients to praise and glorify God for the gift… they attributed it to the Lord!
• And others who heard of the marvelous provision of God – and how God worked in the hearts of others to bring this to pass – also glorified God.
• This one love offering had a ripple effect… and each ripple brought glory to God in a wider circle…
• And the folks who gave to that offering had no idea what a marvelous effect it would have… but it did!
3. Our love for one another can bring glory to God… in ways we may not even be aware of!
a. Bringing glory to God sounds a bit nebulous and ethereal… and perhaps out of our reach. However, this passage makes it clear that there are some very down to earth ways in which we can bring praise and glory to God: show love to His people!
b. This can have a “ripple effect”… that continues to travel on and glorify God – in ways and in places we might not be aware of!
c. Simple deeds of love to the brethren redound to the glory of God…
d. It results in MANY thanksgivings to God… and serves to enhance the testimony of Christ in the region.
e. It is like a sweet-smelling odor… that wafts off in all directions… and who knows who will get a whiff of it…
f. Paul heard of the love of the Colossian believers for one another – and it was like a sweet smelling savor to him.
g. Eph. 5:1-2 – And so it was to the Lord too!
h. To bring glory to God it is not necessary to do some great thing… just a small thing – even a glass of water given as an expression of God’s love brings glory to the Lord… every little act of love for the brethren glorifies God.
The KIND of Love They Had
A. Agape Love
1. They had agape love for each other.
a. Defined: Agape love is the kind of love that is produced in the heart of a yielded believer by the Holy Spirit and is expressed in a willingness to sacrifice self for the spiritual well being of another.
b. This kind of love is more related to the WILL than it is to the emotions.
c. It is a choice to bestow that which is best upon another, and does not always include warm feelings.
B. Distinctly Christian Love
1. John writes about the commandment to love one another.
a. I John 2:7 – John states that he is NOT writing a new commandment, but an old one which they had from the beginning.
b. I John 2:8 – Then he says that he is writing a new commandment.
c. How do we reconcile these two statements? Is it a new commandment or an old one? This was not a mistake or an oversight on his part. He put it this way on purpose.
d. There is something old AND something new about the commandment to love one another.
e. It is the same old commandment (love one another) – but there is an entirely NEW basis for the command under grace.
2. The old commandment (Lev. 19:18)
a. Under the law, men were commanded to love one another.
b. Under the law, the basis or standard for that love was self-love. (Love others as you already love yourself!)
c. That is a pretty high standard for God’s earthly people Israel. It was a high standard because we really love ourselves… don’t we?! We take excellent care of self…
d. When Jesus taught the disciples the law in the Sermon on the Mount, the standard was the same: self love: do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
e. That was the old commandment – love others – and use self as the standard or measure of that love.
3. The new commandment: (John 13:34)
a. Jesus said that the new commandment to love one another had a new standard… AS Christ loved us!
b. Jesus was about to be crucified as He spoke these words to the disciples. John heard all of this… and was taking mental notes.
c. After Christ died on the cross… and the reality of what occurred began to sink in… the words of this new commandment began to radiate in a whole new light…
d. John 15:12 – loving one another AS Christ has loved us: without limits; with no strings attached; expecting nothing in return; selfless; sacrificial; even unto death!
e. And Christ loved us when we were yet sinners! He died for the ungodly. This kind of love is shown even toward enemies!
f. The commandment to love one another is the same old commandment – but taken to new levels… levels impossible in the flesh. It requires the operation of the Spirit of God in our hearts.
g. This elevates love as high as the heavens are high above the earth! Love under grace is infinitely superior to love under the law.
h. This makes the new commandment distinctly Christian… as opposed to the old commandment which was Jewish.
i. Eph. 5:2 – we are to walk in love AS Christ loved us…
j. Eph. 5:25 – husbands are to love their wives AS Christ loved the church… and gave Himself for it.
4. The Colossian saints were demonstrating a NEW kind of love… appropriate for those living in the age of grace.
a. They loved one another AS Christ had loved them.
b. This was a powerful testimony.
c. John 13:34-35 – by this NEW kind of love onlookers would know that they were distinctly followers of Christ… that their love was modeled after Christ – and not after the format of love left by Moses in the Law.
d. Demonstrating the old kind of love – with self as the standard – men might assume they were followers of Moses… but the new kind of love made it clear that they were followers of Christ!
e. Christian love has the CROSS right at the center of it all… the love of Christ should be our standard… selfless… sacrificial… wanting the very best for others… gracious…
f. The love of God demonstrated at Calvary is our new standard of love. This is distinctly Christian love.
C. Brotherly Love
1. Their faith was placed in CHRIST; their love was for the SAINTS (for believers; not the community at large…)
a. Paul is thanking God for the love that the believers in Colosse have for the BRETHREN.
b. The love Paul is speaking of in Col. 1:4 is agape love; distinctly Christian; and it is brotherly… for the family of God.
c. Gal. 6:10 – Yes, we are to do good to all men…but especially to the household of faith… the Christian brotherhood.
d. The bulk of our good deeds and love is to be shown towards God’s people.
e. It is our testimony in the world. (How they love one another! By this, shall all men know that we are disciples. John 13:34-35)
2. Consider humanitarian efforts that are NOT distinctly Christian… and are not aimed at the Christian brotherhood.
a. Humanitarian efforts are aimed at mankind in general.
b. The world’s religion, humanism, defies God and spiritual things…you might find yourself aiding a community of men who are in rebellion against God.
c. Sometimes giving money or working for a humanitarian agency might be unwise.
d. Some of them have agendas that are distinctly ANTI Christian. (Promote abortion clinics; gay rights; etc.)
e. Philanthropy (love of mankind) is good, but its benefits are only earthly… temporal… addressing social issues rather than spiritual ones.
f. The love for mankind is not always an expression of the love of God. It could be just the opposite.
g. The antichristian will create a “brotherhood”… working together for the common good of mankind… but in rebellion against God.
h. Philanthropy and humanitarian efforts are earthly and their value limited.
i. Be careful where you send your money. Some humanitarian fund raising agencies have agendas that are quite radical from the Christian point of view.
j. The only lasting value humanitarian efforts can have is if there is a Christian testimony or message attached.
k. What good is sending aid, food and medicine to a people – only to enable them to die and go to hell on a full stomach?
l. But if it comes with a Christian message – THEN it becomes an expression of Christian love… and is thus valuable. (Grace Dental Mission)
m. And be careful in sending money to a “Christian” fund raising organization (orphanage; hospital; etc). They may have a message attached to their good works… but WHAT message? Is it sound doctrinally?
n. Phil. 1:9-10 – in showing love – be discerning! Don’t be duped… don’t be fooled… don’t be misguided… be careful!
o. A well meaning believer might attempt to help and show love… but that misguided believer might actually be aiding organizations whose agendas are antichristian in nature.
3. Do good to all men… but be careful. But ESPECIALLY demonstrate deeds of love towards the household of faith… towards the brethren.
a. Heb. 13:1 – let brotherly love continue…
b. Brotherly love is the love of God produced in the heart of a yielded believer and expressed toward other members of the family of God… just because they are a brother.
c. The real value of brotherly love is in its testimony to the world!
d. John 13:35 – “by THIS (love) shall all men know that ye are my disciples.”
e. Acts 4:32-33 – herein lay the real power behind their testimony in the world – their love one toward another!
f. We too need to practice this kind of love one toward another.
• It is a great help to the recipient of those deeds of love…
• But more importantly, it is a powerful testimony to the world!
• It attracts others to our Savior. Folks want to be a part of something that is genuine…
• The love of God is a powerful attraction. The gospel points men to the CROSS – where both the righteousness and the love of God are demonstrated.
• Our lives as Christians, living out that kind of love, is a proof of the reality of the message we proclaim!
• So keep it up! This kind of love is a fundamental of our faith!
D. A Manifestation of LIFE
1. I John 3:14 – Loving the saints is a sign of life.
a. John gives a sure sign that a person has been born again: a genuine love for the brethren.
b. It is a FAMILY kind of love – that is part of the new nature. The new creature in Christ is naturally going to love others of like precious faith.
c. This love is not something that WE manufacture. Rather, it is the result of indwelling LIFE. It is supernatural… the fruit of the Holy Spirit… the result of the LIFE of Christ in us.
2. I John 5:1 – if you love the Begetter, you will love the ones He begets.
a. These two go hand in hand – a love for God AND a love for God’s people.
b. If we claim to love our invisible God, we must show love to His visible representatives!
c. Anybody can CLAIM to love God. The test comes in loving His people.
d. I John 4:20-21 – the one who says he loves God and hates his brother is a liar!
• “If any man SAY…” This is a warning against pretending… against hypocrisy…
• If we SAY… there ought to be something to back it up… or it is just words… empty words.
• This COMMAND applies in the Christian home too!
• If a husband claims to love the Lord – but doesn’t love his wife – he is a liar! The reverse is true too.
• Nobody can claim to love God if they are holding grudges against a brother… or if there is bitterness or an unforgiving spirit in them. They are lying to themselves…
• The way we treat believers is a reflection of the way we treat God.
• Some folks SAY they love God… but don’t treat His people very well.
• But they are not fooling God. God sees right through our phony little sham. He knows our hearts better than we do.
• We can put up a big front… we can devise our own calculated, cleverly formulated lines of reasoning (which really serves as a smokescreen in our attempt to cover up bitterness and sin in our heart) … and conclude that this doesn’t apply to me… but God knows better.
• God can see right through all the smoke and mirrors. His word is able to pierce into our heart dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and INTENTS of the heart.
e. If you don’t love God’s people, you don’t love God. It’s that simple. It is the same LIFE… God’s life!
f. This love is not based upon similar interests or hobbies in the world. It is not based upon anything but a relationship to God!
g. Believers love God and God’s people. The reverse is true too. The world loves neither God nor His people!
h. When a person comes to faith in Christ, that faith CHANGES a man… from selfishness to thinking of others…
i. Faith in Christ also changes our former affinity we had towards the world and sin… and produces an inner attraction for the people of God.
E. Unfeigned Love
1. I Pet. 1:22 – a true, unfeigned love for the brotherhood of believers is the natural result of the new birth…
a. The main command in this section is “love one another…” (agape love)
b. HOW were they to love one another?
• With a pure heart.
• With their WHOLE heart… fervently…
c. HOW is a pure heart obtained?
• By obeying the truth, their hearts had been purified.
• By walking in obedience with ALL of the Word of God.
• By confessing their sins… and forsaking them.
• By DEALING with impurity in their hearts… not by brushing it under the rug.
• That purified heart will RESULT in unfeigned love of the brethren.
d. In other words, the obedient believer will have a pure heart.
• His heart has been cleansed by the Holy Spirit… and is under the control of the Holy Spirit… and will thus produce the FRUIT of the HS: love.
• His heart has been purified – all JUNK has been removed… all the filth… all the debris that HINDERS love… (anger, wrath, bitterness, malice, grudges, resentment, an unforgiving spirit).
• All that junk has to be removed from the heart before REAL love can be manifested.
2. Notice that the result of a pure heart is UNFEIGNED love (pure love… not the phony kind).
a. This unfeigned love is philadelphia – brotherly love.
b. This is the kind of love that includes warm affection, brotherly fondness… not a cold, compassionless, Stoic choice to do good for someone – but a warm hearted love, because the person is a brother.
3. In other words, a defiled heart CAN produce FEIGNED love… a phony love… a superficial love…
a. The feigned, phony love says, “Well, I’ll love him because I have to, but I don’t have to like him!”
b. This passage uncovers the lie behind that kind of thinking.
c. A PURE heart produces pure love… unfeigned affection and brotherly fondness.
d. An impure heart produces an impure, phony love…
4. But for the real thing to occur, sins must be removed… real love cannot flow from a defiled heart.
a. What a rebuke to us is found here.
b. When we are having a hard time loving a brother, it’s not their fault. Don’t try to put the blame elsewhere.
c. If love is not flowing out of our heart for a brother, don’t blame them. Don’t say: well you don’t know how he/she treated me! You don’t know what he did… or said… or what he put me through! It’s his fault I can’t love him/her.”
d. In reality, if love for a brother is not flowing from our heart, it is because there is impurity in OUR heart!
e. Something WE have allowed to simmer in our heart is preventing love from flowing out: something called SIN.
f. It may be bitterness, anger, jealousy — any number of things. And that impurity must go before the love can flow!
5. When those sinful things which defile the heart are removed – the heart is purified.
6. THEN, from a purified heart and soul flows the pure, genuine, unfeigned love of God.
7. The word for “unfeigned” is the Greek word for hypocrite… (with a negative prefix). It was used of the masks worn by play actors in ancient times.
8. Don’t kid yourself. If there is bitterness, or a grudge, or anger, or cold hearted resentment in your heart – REAL love will never flow from it.
9. Whatever kind of love does flow is not the product of the Holy Spirit, but is the product of the flesh – wood, hay, and stubble. And it is phony.
10. God can see right through our hypocritical mask. You can’t fool a God who is omniscient.
F. Then comes the COMMAND: see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently!
1. Thus, the order Peter sets forth is this:
a. Get your heart and soul right with God. Remove all the impurities that will hinder the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
b. Then brotherly affection and fondness will flow from your heart. (Philadelphia love)
c. But don’t stop there: in addition to the Philadelphia love, add agape love… which translates the affection into action based upon grace…
d. And don’t be content with a little agape love. Do it FERVENTLY… with intensity… not a mere dribble here or there!
2. In other words, God requires BOTH kinds of love for the brotherhood; brotherly kindness and agape love.
3. In fact, in his next epistle, Peter DEMANDS it! (Add to your godliness brotherly kindness (Philadelphia)… and to brotherly kindness… charity… or agape.
G. A Product of the Holy Spirit
1. I Pet. 1:23 – being born again…
a. Peter states in vs. 23 – that this kind of fervent love for the brethren is the natural result of the new birth… being born again.
b. The new birth results in a new heart… a regenerated heart… a new capacity for love – supernatural love… God’s love.
c. This verse ADDS to the sense of the previous command, “love one another with a pure heart fervently SINCE you are born again!”
d. The new birth ought to naturally produce such love.
e. Only the person who has a regenerated heart… and whose regenerated heart is purified (right with God – filled with the Spirit) can produce this kind of supernatural love.
f. Those who ARE born again WILL produce it. It’s how you can tell if someone is truly born again…
2. The work of regeneration is attributed to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament: born of the Spirit.
3. Peter states here that it is BECAUSE the Spirit regenerated us that we are ABLE to love with agape love.
4. Loving the saints is an indication of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
a. Gal. 5:22 – love is the FRUIT of the Spirit… a proof that the Spirit is working… operating…
b. Rom. 5:5 – the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
c. Col. 1:8 – love in the Spirit = love produced in them BY the Holy Spirit. It is supernatural fruit…
d. The flesh can only produce a cheap imitation… a feigned love… that is not gracious in nature, but selfish.
e. This is a heaven-high concept – a supernatural kind of love that God expects of us… one that only God can produce in us.
f. Our job? We can’t produce it… we can’t imitate it. But we CAN yield to God… and allow God’s Spirit to take control of our members… yield our members unto God – and God will use them for His glory… by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit THROUGH us.
g. Again – if the love of God is not flowing out of our hearts – we need a heart exam. Either there is sin and impurity preventing the love from flowing out… or we are not yielded to God.
h. If we keep on confessing our sin… and keep on yielding our members, God’s love WILL flow out of our hearts.
i. It may take a while for the feelings to get back to where they ought to be… but that will come in good time.
H. Without Respect of Persons
1. Col. 1:4 – love which ye have to ALL THE SAINTS.
a. It’s easy to show love to the saints whose company you enjoy.
b. It’s not so easy to show love to the saints who aren’t so kind… who rub you the wrong way.
c. But it is precisely THERE where genuine love is demonstrated…
d. Agape love gives, expecting nothing in return.
e. Agape love gives regardless of the worth of the recipient.
f. Agape love demonstrates its true colors toward the unlovely.
g. It’s easy to love lovable people. It’s not easy to love the unlovable… but that is the true test of agape love!
h. Evidently, there were no divisions in Colosse as at Corinth. (I am of Paul; I of Appollos) They loved ALL the saints in Colosse.
i. Brotherly love is to be extended to ALL the saints – it knows no denominational limits.
2. If a person is born again, we should have genuine agape love for that person… wanting that which is spiritually BEST for him.
a. And sometimes that means separation. (Separation IS an expression of love… when done in a right spirit…)
b. But even if that brother is disciplined by the Body because of doctrinal deviation or disobedience – we still LOVE him as a brother! (II Thess. 3:6, 14-15)
c. We are to love ALL the saints… even though that is sometimes expressed in ways which are misinterpreted. The world and worldly believers define love as “embracing everyone and everything.” Not so! That’s not agape love.
3. The world had never seen such love.
a. In paganism, there was a love for one another… on a human level.
b. They loved others like them…
c. The Romans loved other Romans; the Hittites showed love for other Hittites; the wealthy landowners were kind towards each other.
d. Christianity was a new thing in the world: a community of folks who were held together NOT by geography, politics, language, ethnicity, economy, or social status…
e. Rather, Christianity was a community of folks held together by a bond of LOVE… for each other regardless of their background: Jew and Greek; bond and free; male and female; rich and poor; learned and ignorant; red, yellow, black, white; none of that mattered.
f. They were all ONE in Christ. They could all come to the communion table together as ONE…as brothers… family.
g. They were one because they shared a common faith… and a common love… for the Lord and one another.
h. In those days, there were a lot of loved-starved people to whom that kind of communion was quite attractive.
i. Today there are even more such people…
j. People who are looking for a love that is real…
k. A love that works… and is not merely words…
l. The early church won many converts by displaying this kind of unfeigned… brotherly love.
m. There is no reason why we can’t do the same today.
n. You have no idea how powerful even the smallest deeds of kindness done in the name of Christ can be to a visitor who comes in our midst.
o. And the accumulation of a whole body of people living that kind of life can be overwhelming… and attractive.
p. The love of God manifested in the yielded life of a believer can be more effective in communicating the gospel than any sermon I can preach.
q. The love of God manifested through the body of believers here is PROOF of indwelling life… it is PROOF of the new birth… it is PROOF that our Savior who was crucified is yet alive!
r. We would do well to take heed to Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians: (I Thess. 4:9-10) You are already practicing brotherly love but INCREASE more and more!
s. God’s love knows no limits…
• There are no limits in degree to which it can be manifested.
• There are no limits on the effect it can have on those who are recipients.
• There are no limits on the power of evangelistic persuasion it can create in the hearts of unsaved onlookers.
t. Paul continually thanked God in his prayers when he heard of the love that the Colossians had toward all the saints.
u. Let’s follow that example – and increase more and more.
I. IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN… CONSIDER THE LOVE OF GOD MANIFESTED ON THE CROSS – FOR YOUR SINS!
1. HOW do we show love to God? He’s invisible… He’s in heaven.
a. God doesn’t NEED anything from us.
b. We can’t improve His quality of life.
c. He isn’t sick; lonely; short of money; in the midst of a project where He needs a helping hand; He doesn’t have a fence that needs painting;
d. We can show love to God THROUGH the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
e. Christ is the Mediator between our invisible God and men upon the earth.
f. Our access to God is THROUGH Christ… the God-Man… He is the link. The way we show love to God is THROUGH Christ and through His Body in particular.
g. Helping Christ’s Body is the way we show love to Christ… to God. Ministering to the saints… edifying the Body… is the only way we can minister to God Himself…
1. Why persecutest thou Me?
2. Ministering to one of His “brethren” is ministering to Him.
• But ministering to the Body of Christ has eternal value.
• Aiding the Body of Christ is aiding those who love the Lord
• Loving the brethren is an expression of the love for God
• Loving the brethren is the WAY we show love to God
• This makes the local church the most important institution on earth
• The local church is where the saints gather… where we are ABLE to minister to one another on an ongoing basis… it is where the rubber meets the road… where real life applications are in play… where Scripture is practiced… the life and love of Christ is demonstrated…
• How we treat the Body is an expression of our heart’s attitude towards God Himself.
• If you don’t love the brethren whom ye see, how can you love God whom you can’t see?
• “To dwell in love with saints above, that will indeed be glory; to dwell below with saints we know, well, that’s another story!”
• Love which you are HAVING… ongoing love… it’s never “done.”
2. Relationship between the faith and love.
a. Gal. 5:6 – faith is proven to be real by works of love.
b. If our faith is real… it WILL be expressed towards the brethren in DEEDS of love.
c. Faith is never alone. It always results in deeds of love…
d. If faith is genuine, it will produce fruit – the fruit of the Spirit – namely, LOVE for the brethren.
Introduction:
1. Paul mentions an oft-repeated trilogy of Christian graces in this passage: faith, love, and hope.
2. There is an important relationship between these three… mentioned in nearly all the commentaries – author unknown…
a. Faith looks upward to God; love looks outward to others; hope looks forward to the future.
b. Faith rests upon the past work of Christ; love operates in the present; and hope anticipates the future…
3. This morning we are going to look at HOPE…
This Hope Is Objective
1. Paul is speaking about a hope that is laid up in heaven.
2. That which is laid up in heaven is hope in the objective sense.
a. It is not the attitude of waiting or looking forward to something (subjective) but the hope here refers to that for which a person waits… anticipates… the object of our hope.
b. Hope in the subjective sense speaks of our personal sense of hope… our possession of a hopeful spirit…
3. Now of course, hope in the objective and subjective senses are related closely.
a. The glorious future promised us (our objective hope) creates in us a feeling of hope… a confident expectation (subjective).
b. The more we focus on the heavenly hope laid up for us… the more hopeful we will be as a person!
c. If we fill our minds with hearts with our objective hope… we will become FILLED with hope… we will become hopeful people… characterized by hope.
4. We are going to see in this passage that when our minds are filled with heavenly things, then the love for all the saints will be rekindled… Hope is extremely beneficial in the Christian life.
5. Let’s consider what the Bible says about our HOPE… what our hope is in the objective sense… and KNOWING more of this hope will make us more hopeful people.
This Hope Is In Christ
1. Hope Defined:
a. Hope: anticipation of good in the future… confidence of good prospects in the future…
• Zodhiates: a desire for good and an expectation of obtaining it.
• Vines: the happy anticipation of good
b. The term Paul uses for hope here does not imply uncertainty as the English term sometimes does. (I hope so…)
c. It is a confident expectation of good…
d. Sometimes we think of hope as a hope so.
e. At an accident scene a person is severely injured, and we try to comfort them by saying, “It’s going to be all right.” However, we don’t KNOW it is. Those words may have no basis in fact whatsoever. It may NOT be all right! Such words though well intentioned are meaningless.
2. Our hope in Christ is based upon truth… the truth of the gospel… gospel truth.
a. Hence, it is not a hope so… but a certainty.
b. Our hope is rock solid… resting on the promises of God.
3. I Tim. 1:1 – our hope resides in a Person – the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. The only reason we have any hope is because of Him – and because of what He accomplished for us on Calvary.
b. All of our hopes for the future are attached to Him… to His work on the cross… to His resurrection and ascension… to His present High Priestly intercessory ministry…
c. Our hopes are linked to His promises for tomorrow…
d. Our hopes are linked to the Person, the Provision (cross), and the Promises of Jesus Christ—He is our hope.
The Hope of Glory
1. Col. 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory!
a. Paul speaks of the indwelling Christ… the riches of the glory of the mystery of this age…
b. The indwelling life of Christ is a foretaste of glory divine… a foretaste of future glory that we will one day share WITH Him in glory itself…
c. We get a taste of that now… Christ with us… IN us… and we in Him… an eternal union with our Savior… His LIFE manifested through us…
d. Glory belongs to us for all eternity, yet that glory is all future.
e. It is HOPE that links us to that future glory… and THROUGH the indwelling Person of Jesus Christ… the hope of glory… a foretaste of glory divine—today!
2. Heb. 6:18-20 – Christ, our High Priest is our HOPE.
a. This hope that He engenders in us is an anchor to our soul…
b. This hope connects us directly to Christ who is already in the inner sanctuary of heaven… already in glory…
c. And we are connected to Him by this hope… which is like an invisible cord attached to our soul… and the other end is safely anchored in heaven…
d. What an awesome picture is painted here!
3. Col. 3:4 – we shall appear with Him in glory!
a. Here Paul speaks of our future as believers…
b. When Christ returns for the church, we will appear WITH Him in glory…
c. We will one day share in His glorified state…
d. The heavenly sphere is our position already… We have already been raised into heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
e. Our citizenship is there… our inheritance is there… and one day we too shall be there! Oh that will be glory for me!
4. Rom. 8:17-18 – suffering now… glory later.
a. The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
b. The sufferings are only for a time; the glory is forever.
c. We suffer in this lifetime… but as we suffer, this hope enables us to endure…
d. Vs. 24-25 – The suffering we experience in this life is due to living in a cursed earth, in a corruptible body with a sin nature…
• However, one day all that will be reversed for the believer… a regenerated earth; a redeemed body with no sin! Until then we HOPE.
• Hope enables us to endure the sufferings of this life
• vs. 23 – we also have the glorious hope of a redeemed body one day… a body suited for eternity in the heavenly city…
e. Many folks here today are dealing with health issues… some with daily aches and pains; others with effects of aging; others are bearing some serious internal diseases;
• Here Paul says that part of the hope of future glory is obtaining a new body! A resurrection body… clothed with immortality… an incorruptible body!
• Paul says if we had that body now, we wouldn’t need hope. But since we DON’T have it now… then because of hope, we can with patience wait for it.
f. But even the world has to endure this kind of suffering resulting from corruptible bodies in a cursed earth.
• Their hope is not the same as a Christian hope.
• Their hope is that someone will find a cure for their disease…
• Their hope is that their company will do better next quarter…
• Their hope is that a new medication for their arthritis will be found…
• Their hopes are grounded entirely on life on the earth… relating to earthly suffering.
• Our hope is heavenly. It relates to suffering on earth… but especially to suffering for righteousness sake…
• And our hope is not simply that the suffering for righteousness we are experiencing will STOP…
• But rather, that God will give the grace and strength to endure SO THAT this suffering will result in eternal rewards… that will so far outweigh the pain that it will not be worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us!
5. I Thess. 1:3 – hope produces patient endurance through life’s trials. (faith produces works; love results in labor; hope results in patience!)
a. An earthly kind of hope will make you feel good and might help you get through life’s trials on an earthly level. Psychologists encourage people to use hope as a “self help.” That is a completely SELF centered approach—where as true hope MUST be Christ centered.
b. Our Christian hope is based on the assurance of our future glory with Christ… and that is as far above their hope as heaven is above the earth!
c. Hope in Christ results in patient endurance… through physical suffering AND through suffering for righteousness sake.
d. Believers who fall away into sin and backslide – have somehow or other lost hope… given up hope… have allowed hope to dwindle away in their hearts… and that has resulted in unmitigated suffering—the only escape from which seems to be to return to the world.
e. Beware – our adversary is ever present… trying to cause us to lose hope in Christ.
f. If we are abiding in Christ, focused upon HIM… who is the hope of glory… we will patiently endure… looking unto Jesus, we will be enabled to run the race with patience.
g. Hope is strengthened in our hearts by keeping our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
h. Focused on circumstances, we will lose hope… and will find our hands hanging down and our knees too feeble to run!
The Hope of His Coming
1. In one sense, all of our hopes are connected to that which is referred to as Our Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13).
a. Read Titus 2:11-14 – this passage looks back at God’s grace revealed at Calvary… and it looks ahead to Christ’s coming.
b. Both aspects of Christ’s work (past and future) will have an effect on the way we live… if we are looking…
c. The one who gave Himself to redeem us from iniquity is the same One who is coming again!
d. As we LOOK for His coming… it engenders HOPE in us… and that coupled with an appreciation of His grace enables us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.
e. As many times as we struggle in the flesh with the lusts of the flesh in this life, we need to have that HOPE set before us – that this struggle is not forever… we have HOPE of being set free eternally from ungodly and worldly lusts… no more sin!
f. But of course, that which is MOST blessed about Christ’s coming is seeing Him face to face… being with Him forevermore… in His very presence…
g. Ps. 16:8-11 – in His presence is fullness of joy! Pleasures forever more! That truly IS a blessed hope… to be with the One we love… forever.
The Hope of the Resurrection
1. Acts 23:6 – Paul was called into question because of his HOPE of the resurrection.
a. The Sadducees and Pharisees were divided on this issue. The Pharisees believed in resurrection… the Sadducees did not. That’s why they were sad, you see! (vs. 8)
b. Paul had great hope in the resurrection… based on the promises of the Old Testament… and the new revelation he was given.
c. Paul was willing to face death in defense of his beliefs. This was his hope… and he wasn’t going to back down from it!
2. I Cor. 15:16-20 – Later Paul wrote of his hope of resurrection… and what effect it had on his life.
a. If our hope in Christ goes no farther than this life only – then we are of all men most miserable…
b. Why miserable? Because the apostles gave UP their earthly lives to follow Christ.
c. They suffered much in following Him. If there is no resurrection and no afterlife, then they were fools! They should have lived it up… eat, drink, and be merry!
d. They lived their entire earthly lives in hopes of being raised to glory… resurrected into glorified bodies… and receiving rewards in glory for their suffering on earth.
e. This hope enabled them to persevere by giving them REASON to suffer in this life—KNOWING that it will be worth it all!
f. Hope in the resurrection will do the same in our lives as well… IF we believe it… trust in it… live by it… saturate our minds and hearts with it…
g. But since Christ rose from the dead, we too have a glorious hope of being raised ourselves one day… in a resurrected body – into that heavenly city! What a hope!
The Hope of Meeting Loved Ones in Glory
1. I Thess. 4:15-18 – Here Paul speaks of that grand reunion in the sky!
a. When Christ returns, all those who died in Christ before us will be returning with Him…
b. The dead in Christ will be raised into glorified bodies first.
c. Then that generation of Christians alive at His return will be translated into a glorified body…
d. And then we will meet Christ in the air…
e. And we will meet all those saints in Christ who have gone before us…
2. I know folks who will be in that crowd. Do you?
a. That godly grandmother… who prayed for you while you were growing up…
b. That child who died in a tragic accident…
c. That good friend whose life was taken early by cancer…
d. That one who waited till the last days of his life to surrender to Christ and believe on Him… he’ll be there.
e. That deacon who lived for Christ… that lady who suffered so with polio will be there…
f. And on and on it goes… they’ll all be there… and so will we! What a reunion!
g. For some of you it will be a spouse… a child… a mother, father, brother… a friend… one you led to the Savior… or perhaps the one who led you to Christ…
h. We all know folks there; what a day of rejoicing that will be!
3. It is our great hope – an assured, confident expectation to meet all those folks again.
a. And this is not just a wish… but based upon the promises of God! Rock Solid!
b. Jesus is coming again… maybe morning; maybe noon; maybe evening and maybe soon! And all those who died in Christ will be with Him!
The Hope of Our Calling
1. Eph. 1:18 – Paul prayed that the Ephesian saints might KNOW what is the HOPE of their calling.
a. Our calling is a high, heavenly, calling…
b. Our calling includes being IN Christ; accepted in the Beloved; redeemed; forgiven; holiness; seated in heavenly places; citizens of heaven;.
2. Understanding their glorious calling – their position in Christ would create HOPE in them.
a. That in turn would have an effect on the way they lived here and now!
b. PRAY that God would open OUR understanding concerning our glorious position in Christ… that it will SINK IN…
c. PRAY that we would learn to REST in our glorious position and from that position of rest, we would have confidence expectation of good—and bright hope for tomorrow…
3. We can have a hope of resurrection. But we are already called to live a resurrection life! This is a foretaste of that future glory…
The Hope of Being Like Him (I John 3:1-2)
1. Vs. 1-2a – We are right now (by faith) called the sons of God!
a. We are sons of God, but the world doesn’t recognize us as such.
b. Why? Because we look just like them. That’s why they didn’t recognize the Lord either.
c. Unfortunately, we sometimes behave like the world too…
d. They don’t recognize us as the sons of God… because we are like them.
2. But when Christ appears, we shall no more be like them, we shall be LIKE Him. What does it mean to be LIKE Him?
a. Throughout this life we are gradually being transformed into His image… glory to glory… but we have a LONG way to go…
b. As we contemplate, meditate, and ruminate on who we are in Christ… our glorious heavenly calling and position… we will be changed more and more into that image.
c. As a matter of fact, we fall infinitely short of His glory today.
d. Positionally, we are like Him… holy…sanctified… blameless… without spot or wrinkle…
e. But practically, we are quite spotted—every one of us—by the world around us and by sin within us.
f. One day that gradual transformation will be finalized… when we are raised up with Him… new bodies… with no sin nature!
g. He that began a good work in us WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ… until the work is done—until we are truly LIKE HIM!
3. To be like Him means sinless… holy…
a. The real struggles we face as believers are not so much from the world or the devil… but from the sin that resides in us!
b. Isn’t that where we agonize? Don’t we often come to the place where we cry out, “Oh wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
c. The real struggle is learning to walk by faith… and having a life of victory over our thoughts… the intents of our heart… over self-righteousness… over envy, jealousy, lust, anger, pride, bitterness… etc.
d. When He shall appear – those battles will be over forever! Praise the Lord… we shall be like Him.
e. That too is part of our hope… no more sin!
4. I John 3:3 – this hope in us has a purifying effect…
a. The hope of His coming… and the hope of our being made like Him one day… our struggles all over… sin no more… holy… pure!
b. Hope purifies…
c. The discouraged believer is going to throw in the towel a lot sooner than the one who is filled with HOPE… the one who is expectantly awaiting the consummation of his faith…
d. You NEED hope to keep you going… to face the difficulties of the day… and the trials that you know are coming tomorrow!
The Hope of Heaven
1. Paul says that our hope is laid up for us in heaven.
a. Our hope is heavenly… not earthly.
b. Our hopes for the future are tied up with God’s promise to the church of a place on high…
c. Israel’s hope was earthly. They hoped for land… a kingdom…a fig tree… and bountiful crops.
d. Our hope is heavenly… not at all related to this earth and its ways.
e. In fact, as Christians, our ALL is heavenly! Our hope, our calling, our home, our future, our blessings, our inheritance… are all found above… where Christ sits at the right hand of God…
f. Our hopes are found in the person of Christ… He IS our hope!
g. And this hope is not a theory or speculation. It is a spiritual reality…
h. And those heavenly realities can be enjoyed TODAY by faith…
• We are by nature tied to this earth and its ways.
• It is our DEATH with Christ that breaks that link for us and enables us by faith to enjoy our spiritual blessings… and heavenly realities…
• Not until we are willing to be made conformable to His death will we fully appreciate our heavenly hope…
• The hope of our resurrection life is experienced first by reckoning self to be dead… and then alive to walk in newness of life… that sees, understands, and appreciates our heavenly hope.
2. John 14:1-3 – the hope of a home in heaven… finally home!
a. Jesus was about to go to the cross and leave His disciples on their own… He would leaving this world for glory.
b. Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples by leaving them with bright HOPE for tomorrow…
c. He told them He was coming again (our Blessed Hope)… and He assured them of a place in heaven with Him for ever! A mansion (dwelling or abiding place)…
d. Earlier Peter asked the Lord, “Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee. What shall we have therefore?”
e. What shall they have? Among other things – Jesus that every one who has forsaken houses or brethren in this life shall have a mansion in glory! What makes it a mansion? There are no tall white pillars… it is an abiding place close to Christ!
f. It will be more than worth it all!
3. Rev. 21:3-4 – God shall dwell with us… and be our God… and shall wipe away all tears… no more sorrow or crying… no more pain…
a. This is also our blessed hope for the future!
b. Ours is a heavenly hope…
c. II Peter 3:10-13 – our hope is NOT in this world.
• This world will one day be melted with a fervent heat… and all that is in it.
• How vain and how foolish to put all our hopes in temporal things of earth that will one day be turned to ashes…
• Our hopes are not tied to the kingdoms of this world… our hope is not to make the world a better place in which to live… (although it is true that the church’s presence in the world does retard the corruption of sin – like salt).
• Our true hope is in the world to come… heavenly… eternal…
d. How much better to have our hope is in Christ… and in our eternal home… in things that have eternal value…
e. It’s nice to have a home here on earth; it’s nice to have good health; it’s nice to own things on earth… but every bit of it will be gone one day.
f. Don’t place your hope in that which is corruptible and temporal… but in that which is eternal.
The Hope of Rewards
1. I Pet. 1:3-4 – Peter says that the believer has been born UNTO a living hope…
a. The new birth produces HOPE… in the regenerated heart.
b. The born again person is alive… alive unto God… alive unto the hope we have in Christ…
c. This living hope is tied to our heavenly inheritance… which (like our hope) is laid up for us in heaven! Reserved in heaven for you!
d. This brings great hope to the believer…
e. We have an inheritance in heaven. In fact, we are joint heirs with Christ!
2. II Tim. 4:6-8 – Paul was aware that one day he would receive rewards in heaven for his faithful service on earth.
a. This produces hope. Paul was full of hope to the very end of his life.
b. In fact, this motivated him to serve to the very end.
c. Oh how we all need that bright hope for tomorrow! Glorious rewards to look forward to!
This Hope Is Secure (Laid Up)
1. Laid up defined: reserved; put in store; deposited out of the reach of all enemies.
2. The tense: perfect: this hope was laid up for you with the present result that it is STILL laid up for and awaiting you…
3. I Pet. 1:4 – our inheritance is also laid up… reserved in heaven.
4. Heb. 6:18-19 – our (objective) hope is laid up within the veil in heaven… and we are to lay hold of it (subjective hope)… it is an anchor… sure and steadfast… hope connects us to heavenly realities.
5. The believer has such rewards LAID UP for him in heaven.
a. II Tim. 4:8 – Paul’s crowns for faithful service were “laid up” for him. (same word – laid up)
b. Matt. 6:19-20 – treasures laid up in heaven…
c. They are reserved in heaven for us.
d. This is a solid rock assurance to support our hope… and keep it going.
e. Nothing can ever hinder or undermine our heavenly hope.
This Hope is Heavenly
1. Their hopes were laid up in heaven… not on the earth.
a. This is what differentiates between a worldly believer and a spiritually minded believer: where does your real hope lie? What are you hoping for?
b. The Colossian heresy related to earthly philosophies and earthly ordinances… which tended to place man’s hopes on the things of earth.
c. They were being warned … beware lest they allow earthly things to occupy their minds and hearts… and lose hope in future heavenly glory…
d. While the form of the attack against us today is different than it was 2000 years ago, in essence it is the same: an attempt to get us to become worldly minded… earthly minded… and to put all of our treasures and hopes in this life only…
2. This basic principle of the Christian life is foolishness apart from our heavenly hope.
a. The Christian philosophy is this: we suffer on earth and receive glory in heaven; we forsake the here and now for rewards in the by and by; we use our earthly treasures to lay up treasures in heaven;
b. But if this earthly life is all there is, then we are of all men most miserable!
c. We should ALL live like Esau – who cared not for future rewards.
• He lived for today… he wanted his porridge now.
• Why? Because future glory meant nothing to him.
• We are FOOLS for giving up the pleasures in this life for some future hope that will not be fulfilled! Fools!
d. The Christian LIVES his entire life with this frame of mind: Our hope is Christ…
• He is the ONE in whom all our hopes reside…
• He is the ONE in heaven…
• He is the source of all of our hope… His work; His word; His person; His promises…
• Without Christ, we have no hope…
• In fact that is exactly how the lost gentiles are described today… without Christ and without hope in the world.
3. You can’t live the Christian life without HOPE. Consider its effects:
a. Hope has a purifying effect on our lives (I John 3:3)
b. Hope links us to Christ behind the veil in the heavenly sanctuary – and brings assurance to our soul. (Heb. 6:18-20)
c. Hope produces patient endurance (I Thess. 1:3)
d. Our heavenly hope gives us a sensible reason for living a sacrificial life… to obtain future glory.
e. Hope also is a motivating factor which energizes our faith in Christ and love to all the saints.
4. Therefore do whatever you can to stir up hope in your heart!
a. This is one reason why the local church is so necessary – to encourage one another to keep on hoping in Christ…
b. Stay in the Word – for there our hope is put before us daily—even when we think we aren’t getting anything new out of our reading – hope is revitalized… whether we realize it or not…
c. Set your affection on things above… where Christ is – who is our HOPE!
OUR HEAVENLY HOPE AND OUR EARTHLY WALK:
This Hope Is the Source of Faith and Love (Col. 1:5)
1. Some might accuse us of having a heavenly hope… that is no earthly good. Nonsense!
a. Our passage teaches us just the opposite.
b. Col. 1:5 teaches us that it is BECAUSE of our hope for a glorious future that we are able to endure today… AND because of that hope we continue trusting in Christ and demonstrating deeds of love to the brethren… unto the glory of God!
2. FOR: dia: through… because of… on account of…
a. This expression is to be linked back to the Colossian’s love to all the saints…
b. Paul is saying that the Colossian believers were able to love one another BECAUSE of the hope they had!
c. Hope was the motivating factor behind their faith and love.
d. Wuest says that the preposition (for – dia) is a preposition of intermediate agency. This shows that the hope is an active thing… working in the believers… and energizing that faith and love to a greater intensity.
3. Hope isn’t the ONLY motivating factor, but it is a legitimate one… and an active one.
a. Paul writes to the Colossians and not only did he know about their love and their faith… he also knew WHY their faith and love were active: because of their hope!
b. As the Colossians (and us!) contemplated their glorious position in heavenly places in Christ, and what marvelous glories God has in store for us… those thoughts of HOPE stirred up in them a love for the brethren… for other citizens of heaven.
c. Hope became a fountain, out of which faith and love flowed.
4. Faith, love, and hope are all interrelated. They have an effect on each other.
a. Faith works by love (Gal. 6:6).
b. Hope is a motivating factor behind both faith and love.
5. Hope is that which enables believers to lead a life of sacrifice… a living sacrifice.
a. Because of a glorious hope for tomorrow, we are able to sacrifice today… and to us it is worth it!
b. Because of hope for a glorious tomorrow – we won’t live for today. We live for tomorrow… with eternity in mind.
c. Hope teaches us that it makes good sense to be willing to suffer today… for future glory.
d. Hope teaches us that whatever we suffer in the present is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
e. Hope of future glory motivates the believer to give up in this life to gain in the future.
f. This kind and depth of hope is unable to be understood by the world… because they have no such hope for the future.
g. The world understands this principle in earthly things… but not when it comes to spiritual and eternal things.
• Ex: When a student gives up his today (his money; time; pleasure) to get a good education, the world understands the value of that… he gives up now to gain in the future.
• Ex: Or making a monetary investment in a fledgling company now for a greater dividend to be paid later.
• The world understands that – because in those cases both the giving up and gaining are here one earth… in this life.
• But they can’t understand one who gives up this life for some pie in the sky by and by. That is folly to them.
• But it is wisdom to the believer. It is our HOPE.
DO YOU HAVE HOPE IN CHRIST TODAY?
• You do if you have received Him as your Savior.
• But if not, then you are without hope…
• Believe on Christ and be saved today!
Introduction:
1. Last week we looked at the marvelous hope we have in Christ:
• The Hope of Glory
• The Hope of His Coming
• The Hope of Resurrection
• The Hope of Meeting Loved Ones in Glory
• The Hope of Our Calling
• The Hope of Being Like Him
• The Hope of Heaven Itself
• The Hope of Rewards and eternal inheritance
2. This morning we want to look at another aspect of our hope: that it is actually part of the gospel message itself!
a. Paul states here that this hope which was laid up for them in heaven they heard… and they heard it in the word of the truth of the GOSPEL!
b. This hope is part of the good news… part of the message we are to preach to the lost.
c. Today we want to look at that one fact and some of its implications.
This Hope (objective) Is Part of the Gospel
A. The Hope of Heaven = the expectation of believers
1. Notice that in verse 5, Paul states that the Colossians heard about this hope IN the word of the truth of the gospel!
a. In other words, whoever preached the gospel to them (Epaphras) told them much MORE than simply, “Jesus died and rose again.”
b. The presentation of the gospel message they heard included our Christian hope: our hope of heaven… our hope of resurrection, etc.
c. This is all PART of the gospel… not an adjunct to it.
d. One cannot really tell the gospel message without mentioning the glorious future hope for those who believe in Christ!
e. It is only reasonable that if we are going to ask folks to believe on Christ and align themselves with One who was despised and rejected of men on earth… that we let them know about the glorious hope we have for the future!
2. For someone to make an intelligent decision to believe on Christ and entrust one’s eternal destiny into His care, it is incumbent upon the one preaching the gospel message to INFORM the person as to what that eternal destiny IS! That is our hope!
a. Of course, a person could get saved WITHOUT hearing very much about this great hope in Christ.
b. He may not have heard of the rapture… or of the heavenly city with streets of gold… or of the Bema Seat and the crowns that will be given… he may never hear of the mansion (dwelling place) that Christ is preparing for believers in heaven… he may not know about the inheritance that awaits him and is reserved for every believer in heaven…
c. He may not know any of this. It is not a requirement in order to be saved.
d. However, consider HOW the gospel was preached in the New Testament. The apostles didn’t pare it down to the bare minimum. They preached the WHOLE counsel of God for men to hear.
e. In this passage, Paul informs us that when the Colossians heard the gospel, they were informed of the great hope that is laid up for them in heaven!
f. When the apostles preached the gospel, they wanted people to know the ADVANTAGES of being saved…
g. When the apostles preached the gospel, they wanted people to know what they were being saved UNTO…
h. This hope has a motivating factor built in…
i. If I thought that getting saved – obtaining eternal life meant living forever in a body like mine… in a world like this… struggling against sin, disease, and the world forever, I would have said, “No thank you! Let me die!”
j. But to know that one day all tears will be wiped away… all sorrow and suffering will be over… no more sin… no more violence… no more disease… just perfect bliss in the presence of our loving heavenly Father – that would interest me… and anyone else who hears such a message of hope.
k. Remember, the word gospel means “good news.” All of this is good news! Don’t leave it out of the gospel!
l. Of course, this takes time to teach the whole counsel of God… and in our culture we want everything instant… even instant conversions.
m. Far better is it to take a little extra time with a person teaching them… showing them in the Scriptures… weeks, months, years if necessary — than to pressure a person into making a quick decision for Christ… when he is not ready… when he really wants to know MORE…
n. This is the way Jesus preached the gospel in His day too.
• He included all kinds of people as His disciples.
• Not all disciples were true believers… not all disciples were saved.
• The term disciple is different from believer. A disciple means a “student.”
• Many students enrolled in Christ’s teaching ministry. They sat and listened.
• Many loved what they heard – stuck with it – and in time BELIEVED and were saved.
• Other disciples learned for a while… decided they DIDN’T like what they heard… rejected it and departed. (John 6:66)
o. This will always be the case in the local church as well.
• There will always be folks who attend church here… with interest… for a while.
• They may believe the facts of the gospel… intellectually and think they are saved… but eventually, they hear something from the Word that turns them off – and they depart.
• It is not that they lost their salvation. They never had it! They were disciples… students for a while… but ultimately rejected the message.
• Others will attend church for a while because they too are interested… curious.
• God will be working in their hearts, attracting them to truth and to Christ.
• They may want to hear MUCH taught from the Bible before they are ready to receive Christ as their personal Savior.
• It is my conviction that if God is NOT working in their hearts, all the altar calls and pressure-type evangelism in the world isn’t going to produce LIFE in those folks.
• It is also my conviction that if the Lord IS working in their hearts… HE will continue to draw them to Himself… and to convince them of the truth.
• It is our job to continue TEACHING the whole counsel of God… and inviting men WITHOUT pressure to receive Christ along the way.
• Just two simple facts (Jesus died and rose again) may not be enough for some folks. They may want to hear MORE before receiving Christ.
• They may want to hear some good REASONS to be saved… like our glorious future hope of heaven… and being with the Lord Jesus forever… His coming again…
• The Colossians heard all that when the gospel was presented to them.
• They were told what they were being saved UNTO…
• They were told about the hope of glory… which is the hope of the believer… our expectation for the future…
B. The Fear of Hell = the expectation of unbelievers
1. While it is not stated in this verse, it IS stated elsewhere that when the apostles preached the gospel, they not only include the hope of future glory — they also included the horror of future Divine wrath!
2. The apostles preached the whole counsel of God. They told folks what they could expect if they received Christ (the hope of glory)… AND what they could expect if they rejected Him (eternal condemnation!)
3. The apostles told their listeners what their future held for them… if they were saved… and if they remained lost… either heaven or hell.
4. The same gospel that promises heaven also threatens with hell! BOTH are part of the gospel message.
5. In fact, before a person can ever understand the “good news” – he must first be confronted with the bad news: he is condemned and on his way to hell!
a. Rom. 3:10 – there is none righteous… no not one! Bad news!
b. Rom. 3:12 – there is none that doeth good!
c. Rom. 3:23 – The bad news is that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That’s pretty bad news – news that nobody wants to hear… but it is part of the gospel message!
d. Rom. 6:23 – the wages of sin is death – including the second death… that’s bad news too.
e. Rev. 20:12-15 – those who reject the gospel will one day be raised up in bodies suited for eternity – and will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever! A place of eternal torment.
f. Rev. 20:10 – The torment never ends…
g. Even mentioning this Bible truth is anathema in most circles today. It is a fundamental Christian doctrine that is under attack today… and no wonder – it is part of the gospel!
h. Nobody wants to hear what God has to say. They would prefer to listen to men… men who do not know God or His Word.
i. They want to hear nice things… that God would never send anyone to hell… that God is too loving for that…
j. They want to hear that all religion is good and that there are many ways to heaven… and they are in fact hearing that in many churches today – sadly.
k. But that is NOT the gospel. The gospel is clear:
• Mat. 7:13-14 – There is a heaven and a hell… a way that leads to life everlasting and a way that leads to everlasting destruction…
• MANY will end up in eternal destruction and condemnation; FEW will enter into eternal life…
• John 14:6 – And Christ is the ONLY way… the exclusive way…
• Apart from Christ there is no hope… nothing but eternal condemnation.
6. The consequences of rejecting Christ — or ignoring Him… putting Him off… are immeasurable… eternal… and irreversible.
a. The Lake of Fire is an eternal place of torment…
b. Jesus spoke of it more than anyone else in the Bible.
c. Acts 17:20-31 – When the apostles preached the good news they included this bad news. God commands all men to repent…FOR He will JUDGE the world one day!
d. II Pet. 3:3-10 – in the last day men will MOCK and ridicule the concept of Divine judgment – just as they did in the days of Noah… but judgment day is coming whether men believe it or not.
e. God is dead serious about the consequences of rejecting the salvation offered by His Beloved Son.
f. The hope offered in the gospel message is like a beautiful diamond. The ugly and painful consequences of rejecting Christ – eternal torment in the lake of fire – is like the black velvet backdrop to a diamond… that brings out all the glitter and shine of the diamond.
g. The bad news of eternal condemnation must be understood and believed BEFORE the good news of salvation can be appreciated…
h. BOTH are part of the gospel message. Each part serves its purpose.
i. Some will be saved simply on the hope of eternal life.
j. Others will be saved by fear… (Jude 22-23)
7. Thus, this aspect of the gospel includes a sense of URGENCY…
a. There is no urgency about the gospel if we consider only the glorious promise of eternity in heaven…
b. The urgency enters in when we consider the following:
• We could die and face eternity at any moment…
• There is no second chance to be saved after that…
• Apart from Christ there is nothing but condemnation in the Lake of Fire.
• That is what gives a sense of urgency to the message.
c. For that reason Paul writes: NOW is the accepted time; behold NOW is the day of salvation! (II Cor. 6:2c)
d. On the one hand, we don’t want to RUSH people into making a decision when they are not ready; on the other hand, we don’t want to encourage people to POSTPONE it needlessly either!
C. The Concept of Salvation (from what; to what)
1. Don’t try to pare the gospel down to its bare minimum! That seems to be the emphasis today… perhaps so as not to offend anyone.
2. Consider the meaning of the word SAVED… it implies BOTH aspects… the hope of glory and the fear of condemnation.
a. If a person is told he needs to be saved he naturally would ask, “Saved from what?” The answer is part of the gospel: saved from eternal condemnation!
b. That same person would also likely as, “Saved UNTO what? Where will I end up?”
c. That too is the gospel – the Colossians heard about the hope of glory IN the gospel message they heard.
d. It is NOT wise to strip the gospel down to a few facts and to plead with men put pressure on them to make a decision based on ignorance.
e. That kind pressure might lead to a lot of decisions… but not likely many true conversions.
3. The gospel message… and God’s plan of salvation includes BOTH the positive and the negative… both the hope of glory AND the horror of hell.
a. We have not adequately presented the gospel unless BOTH elements are presented.
b. Folks need to know what they are being saved FROM and what they are being saved UNTO.
D. The Gospel Is Broader Than the Two Facts Found in I Cor. 15:3-4
1. Mark 1:1-2 – the gospel is about Jesus Christ…
a. He IS the good news. Everything about Christ is good news.
b. He is the Son of God who became a Man. That is good news!
c. He revealed the Father. That’s good news.
d. He brought grace and truth. That’s good news.
2. Acts 20:24 – the gospel is about God’s grace…
a. Grace isn’t mentioned directly in I Cor. 15:3-4…
b. A person will never understand the facts of the gospel or have any context in which to place those facts unless we spend time explaining to him the amazing grace of God!
c. It sometimes takes time for this concept to really sink in.
3. Rom. 1:16-17 – for therein is the righteousness of God revealed.
a. The righteousness of God is also part of the gospel message – though not directly mentioned in I Cor. 15:3-4.
b. In explaining the gospel it is wise to explain to folks how a righteous God cannot simply brush sin under the rug. He has to deal with it in a righteous fashion – which is exactly what He did at the cross!
4. Eph. 6:15 – it is called the gospel of PEACE. We were enemies of God – and through the gospel message we have made peace with God!
a. Rom. 5:10 – we were enemies of God and were reconciled by the gospel!
b. Rom. 5:1 – being justified by faith we have peace with God.
c. Truly the concept of enemies making peace with God is part of the glorious gospel message.
5. Eph. 6:19 – Paul speaks of the mystery of the gospel.
a. Paul speaks here of the relationship of the mystery – the revelation of the church which is His Body…
b. The good news preached today can include a reference to the fact that those who believe are made new creations IN Christ!
c. Believers today not only have the future hope of glory – but have the ineffable privilege of being united with Christ NOW… as a member of His body…we in Him and He in us!
d. This was a mystery in ages past… and this truth is also related to the gospel of God’s grace in this age…
e. If the gospel is good news about Christ – then it must include what Christ is doing NOW… in this age…
f. Today, believers are fully accepted in the Beloved… baptized into the Body of Christ… treated as full grown sons… and seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
g. Of course folks don’t need to know all this IN ORDER to be saved… but it is part of the good news concerning Jesus Christ.
h. This truth may be just what it takes to woo someone who is sitting on the fence… to woo them over to receive Christ personally… they may sense a need to be a PART of something genuine… pure… everlasting…
6. II Cor. 4:4 – But most often it is called the Gospel of Christ.
a. In other words, it is a message about the Lord Jesus Christ.
b. That would include who He is; what He has done; what He has said.
c. It would include the virgin birth; the incarnation; His sinless life; His substitutionary death on the cross; His resurrection; His ascension to heaven; His enthronement at the right hand of the Father; His high priestly ministry; His headship over the Body; the blessed hope of His coming again; His future Kingdom…
d. The gospel is all about HIM… His grace; His mercy; His love; His holiness; His truth; His righteousness; His justice; His purity; His church; His indwelling LIFE; His judgments; His forgiveness — the gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ.
e. Everything about Christ is good news.
f. It could take a long time to preach all the good news there is in the Scriptures about Jesus Christ.
g. To try to boil it down to the two (albeit infinitely important) facts about Christ in I Cor. 15:3-4 does not do justice to the glorious gospel message.
h. So we just keep on preaching Christ… and praying that God would open the understanding of folks here to the importance of the gospel message… and that the LIGHT of the glorious gospel of Christ would shine unto them…
This Hope (subjective) Is the Result of the Gospel
A.)Begotten UNTO a Living Hope (I Pet. 1:3)
1. Those who have been born again have been born INTO a new realm.
a. This new realm is characterized by a living hope…
b. The resurrection of Christ is that which gives the believer great hope… a confident expectation that one day we too will be raised from the dead!
c. This hope includes our objective hope – the inheritance described in the following verses.
d. But it also includes a subjective hope… it is a LIVING hope… as Wuest called it: “it is actively alive…an energizing principle of divine life in the believer.”
e. The person who has been born again has been born into the spiritual realm – where the hope of glory reigns.
f. The normal Christian breaths in an attitude of expectation of good from his heavenly Father…
g. The RESULT of the gospel message is that it puts hope in the hearts of those who were formerly “without Christ and without hope.”
h. This is just what Paul tells the Colossians in 1:23 – the HOPE of the gospel… the hope that the good news engenders in the regenerated heart!
i. Cf. II Thess. 2:14 – The Thessalonians were called to the obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Christian hope – and one that we are called TO BY MEANS OF the gospel.
B. Hope Residing in Us (I Pet. 3:15)
1. The HOPE that the gospel message produces in our hearts also provides opportunity to present the gospel to others.
2. Peter notes that in a world with 6 billion people – most of whom have no bright hope for tomorrow – when they come in contact with a person of great hope – it will spark an interest in them.
3. Some will ASK you about that hope…
a. Peter is addressing the believer and exhorts him to sanctify the Lord in his heart. (set Christ apart as LORD in your heart.)
b. When Christ is in that special place in our hearts – when He has all the preeminence in our lives, it will SHOW…
c. When Christ is on our mind and heart… we will be people of great HOPE… our affection will be with Christ – on things above… and we will be rejoicing in the Lord… gladly anticipating His return… and our hearts will be full of the hope of glory.
d. People will notice that we are different.
e. Some will ask you about that hope that is so evident in your heart.
4. Peter exhorts us to be READY to give an answer when someone asks about our blessed hope!
a. Now in context here, the one asking is not necessarily a person who is hungering after truth.
b. It is more likely a critic… even a persecutor!
c. Nevertheless, the point is this: when Christ is the Lord of our lives, we will be demonstrating through our lives this LIVING HOPE… and others will become curious.
d. They may ask us to DEFEND (give answer) that hope…
e. Regardless of what their motive is in asking (whether they are seeking truth – or seeking to criticize) – we should consider this a great opportunity to speak up for the Lord and share our hope with them… tell them the good news about our Savior!
f. So sanctify the Lord Jesus in your heart – and be ready to defend this great hope!
5. The gospel message is a message all about hope.
a. It produces hope in our hearts. (begotten again UNTO a living hope)
b. And that hope in our hearts provides opportunities to tell others the good news about Christ…
c. The gospel presents us with hope… fills us with hope… and causes us to overflow unto others with hope.
This Hope Is NOT Found in Another Gospel
A.)They Heard Paul’s Gospel “Before”
1. Paul states that the Colossians heard the gospel he preached BEFORE they heard something else. (but before what?)
a. Epaphras brought the true gospel message to Colosse. He heard it from Paul (vs.7-8)
b. This was the gospel of the grace of God – a SAVING message!
c. It came to them in the Word of the truth… it was communicated from God to the apostles… and it made its way to Colosse.
d. They were taught the TRUE version of the gospel first. (vs. 6c)
e. After that, others came, claiming to have the gospel of God’s grace, but it was a bootleg version… an imitation… a fake gospel. It was not the grace of God in truth. It was a gospel of error.
2. Some time subsequent to the time they heard the true gospel, they heard ANOTHER message… from the false teachers who sought to undermine the teachings of the apostles.
a. Part of the purpose of this epistle is to warn the Colossian believers against a “new message”… this new teaching that was being infiltrated into the church.
b. This new teaching included an amalgamation of Jewish traditions and legalism, angel worship, pagan asceticism, and Greek philosophy.
c. This strange mixture later developed into what we know as Gnosticism.
d. It was heretical teachings that Paul felt needed to be exposed for what it was: another gospel… or teachings ADDED to the gospel.
e. The original message they heard was contained in the “word of the truth of the gospel.” This new message was not found in the word of truth… it was not part of the gospel the apostles preached.
f. This new message was not the original… it was added to the gospel… it was a perversion of the gospel… it was invented by men.
3. Paul warned the Corinthians of another gospel. (II Cor. 11:3-4)
a. Some folks actually believed in this other gospel… but it didn’t save them. Those who trust in a false gospel end up in the Lake of Fire forever!
b. It doesn’t matter how sincere they were in their beliefs; it didn’t matter how strongly they believed; or how much energy and effort they put into their faith… or how many believe it… how faithful they are in practicing it…
c. Faith that rests upon the wrong foundation does not save.
d. Paul states clearly that there is only ONE true foundation: Jesus Christ! (I Cor. 3:11)
e. Another gospel is like snake oil being sold by a charlatan. They make all kinds of claims (cures cancer, baldness); they have a whole host of testimonials as to how well it worked for me; they have slick videos, nicely printed literature, they might even have a popular celebrity endorsing their views;
f. Snake oil does not really cure cancer or baldness. Neither does “another gospel” save.
g. But snake oil is not nearly as dangerous as another gospel.
• With snake oil you won’t be seriously hurt… just your wallet… and your ego when you realize you’ve been had!
• With snake oil, the proof’s in the pudding. Just rub it on… and you will know soon that it does NOT take away baldness or cancer. You can find that out in a hurry.
• However, with the gospel, the ultimate proof is not to be realized in this life… but when we stand before God… and it is too late to make any changes then.
• A false gospel will NOT get you into heaven. It will condemn you to the Lake of Fire forever! A fearful prospect!
h. This new teaching that had made its way into the church at Colosse was DIFFERENT from the message they heard before… in the gospel the apostles taught.
B.)A False Gospel Produces a False Hope
1. One of the dangers of a false gospel is that it produces a false hope in its followers.
2. Notice that Paul states that the hope he preached (the genuine hope that is laid up for believers in heaven) is founded on TRUTH.
a. At an accident scene a person is severely injured, and we try to comfort them by saying, “It’s going to be all right.” However, we don’t KNOW it is. Those words may have no basis in fact whatsoever. It may NOT be all right! Such words though well intentioned are meaningless.
b. This false hope may be well intentioned…
c. This false hope may actually be believed by the one presenting it… and by the one hearing it… but their faith in this hope does not affect reality one bit.
d. This false hope may actually help the person cope better in the present…
e. This hope may make them all FEEL better.
f. However, any hope that is not based on TRUTH is a false hope… and in the end will be proven to be false… and it will result in great disappointment… those hopes will be dashed.
3. This is exactly what the false teachings at Colosse did… The false message and false teaching at Colosse would have had two effects:
a. For the believers, it would have given them a false hope:
• By practicing certain ascetic practices (2:21 – touch not, taste not, handle not) they would be right with God. A false hope!
• For other believers they created a false hope by hoping that the Greek philosophy (2:8) could make them better people – holy in God’s sight. It did nothing of the sort.
• 2:16 – Others wrongly hoped that either by the foods they ate or holy days they kept or did not keep, that they would therefore be more sanctified before the Lord. It was a false hope!
• 2:18 – Others had hoped that by means of visions or angels they could get closer to God. Those too were false hopes.
• All of these false teachings created nothing but false hopes – which would be dashed at the Bema seat!
• They would have great hopes of rewards at the Bema – but those hopes would be dashed! There is no reward for following error!
b. For the unbelievers the stakes were even more dangerous!
• By listening to and receiving a false gospel they might have hopes of heaven throughout their whole life… but end up in the Lake of Fire forever!
• This is exactly what the false religious systems of today create: a false sense of hope of heaven!
• Nothing could be more dangerous.
• It is far better for a man to have NO church… NO religion than to be enticed by a false one.
• At least with NO false teaching folks are often more OPEN to the gospel. They don’t have any preconceived ideas about God or salvation.
• Nothing is more difficult than trying to present the gospel message to someone who has all their hopes resting in a false gospel…
• When they have this sense of a false hope… a false security… they are usually NOT open to even hearing the gospel. They assume that things are fine with God… because my priest, or minister, or Rabbi said so!
• But when folks stand before God, no such excuses will be accepted. No one can say to God, “But my church told me that salvation was by works… they told me that God was too loving to send anyone to hell… they told me I didn’t have to worry about eternity!”
• To which God will reply, Perhaps THEY told you all that… but why didn’t you listen to ME? You listened to their word, why didn’t you listen to MY WORD?
• Matt. 7:21-23 – Many will stand before God with all of their excuses. Jesus said that NONE of those excuses will suffice.
• In that day their false hope and false sense of security will be stripped away forever. They will stand naked, exposed, and condemned before a holy God… with no hope in that day.
Conclusions:
1. Paul was thanking God that the Colossians had a genuine Christian hope of future glory with Christ… and that they had Christ in them in the present.
2. This glorious hope was part of the gospel message…
3. Do YOU have such a hope of glory? You can… Christ died for you and rose again… and by simple faith you too can be RESCUED from eternal condemnation – and be brought INTO this glorious hope… a heavenly hope… with the Lord Jesus Christ forever!
4. Won’t you come to Him in simple faith today?
5. Whether it is the allure of heaven or the fear of hell, or BOTH… each one is a Biblical motivation to come to Christ.
6. And He invites you to come today: Come unto Me…
Introduction:
The Gospel in Colosse
a. Come = to be by, be at hand, to have arrived, to be present.
b. The gospel arrived in Colosse probably by means of Epaphras (vs.7-8).
c. He came to the city of Colosse and sowed the seed of the word of the truth of the gospel.
d. This message is quick and powerful… and a number of people responded in faith and were saved.
2. HOW did the gospel come to Colosse?
a. Do you think Epaphras first took a survey of the people of the city to see what kind of a church they would like to have?
b. Do you think he began by bringing in a big band to get the young people to listen?
c. Do you think he hired some actors and put on a play?
d. Do you think he put on a public debate with the local pagan priests?
e. Do you think he hired a few celebrities and Olympic athletes to say something nice about Jesus to attract some attention?
f. How DO you think the gospel came to Colosse?
• It came from a faithful servant of God who knew NOTHING of Madison Avenue tactics… who cared not to please men…
• It came from a servant of God who knew the Word of God…and was willing to follow the pattern found in the Word.
• What is God’s method? (It’s simple; you could memorize it right now!)
• II Tim. 4:1-2a – preach the Word! This is not a difficult concept to understand. (Note that there is no mention of big bands, celebrities, plays, skits, etc… just the WORD!)
• I Cor. 2:1-5 – a simple man came preaching a powerful message…
• God’s servants preached the word and cared NOT for excellency of speech.
• They came in fear and trembling – not trusting in their own abilities, but trusting in the power of the gospel message itself.
• I Cor. 1:18, 23-24 – They came preaching the word knowing full well that most would call it foolishness… but that SOME would respond in faith and see in it the very power of God!
• I Cor. 1:21 – it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe!
• I Thess. 2:2-5 – When Paul brought the gospel to Thessalonica, he came without guile, without tricks or gimmicks, and without trying to please men. His only desire was to preach the Word accurately and please God…
• He preached, knowing that work of preaching was his responsibility, and the work of saving was God’s responsibility.
• I Thess. 2:10 – and he came with a testimony of holiness and purity and separation from the world that backed up the message he proclaimed!
g. Col. 1:7 – Since Paul calls the man who brought the gospel to Colosse a “faithful minister of Christ,” it is fair to say that the gospel came to Colosse… in the same way that Paul brought the message to these other cities…
• The message came to Colosse after the same pattern we read in the Scriptures!
• He came preaching the Word… a simple man with a glorious and powerful message of hope…
• You see, if one really BELIEVES that the gospel is the power of God – he realizes that the gospel doesn’t NEED any gimmicks… it doesn’t need some slick new method of presenting it.
• It simply needs to be proclaimed for what it is!
• MOST true evangelism takes place one on one… one simple believer concerned about the spiritual well being of a friend or neighbor… and telling him the good news…
3. The city of Colosse was part of God’s grand and glorious plan to extend the testimony of Jesus Christ.
a. The gospel message came to Colosse and souls were saved.
b. The gospel message came to Colosse and lives were changed.
c. The gospel message came to Colosse and FRUIT was manifested…
d. The gospel message came to Colosse and a church, an assembly of fruitful believers in Christ, was established.
The Gospel in All the World
1. God’s eternal plan for the church was that it extend worldwide.
2. Matt. 28:18-20 – The Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to carry the good news of the risen Savior worldwide.
3. All the world is hyperbole that Paul often used.
a. Cf. Rom. 1:8; 10:18…
b. It was an expression for the known world.
c. Obviously the message had not yet reached China or what is now known as Australia or Antarctica.
d. But the gospel HAD arrived in the world and was available to the whole world… to whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord!
e. This good news was not limited to the lost sheep of the house of Israel any more. It was not limited to the Middle East. It was sent out for the whole world to hear!
f. The task of world evangelization was certainly not complete at that time… or even today!
g. In Paul’s day, the gospel was being sent out to all the world – wherever the Holy Spirit led.
The Gospel Brings Forth Fruit
1. The gospel… bringeth forth fruit…
a. Bringeth forth = bears fruit…
b. What is the fruit of the gospel? LIFE! The indwelling life of Christ manifest in our mortal bodies… and His character expressed through us… that’s fruit!
c. The gospel message reproduces the life of Christ wherever it goes… wherever it is received.
d. Wherever the life of Christ is reproduced, Christlike character is reproduced by the Holy Spirit – which is, the FRUIT of the Spirit.
e. This is the FRUIT of the gospel – Holy Spirit produced, Christlike character!
• We often hear the term “fruit” used as a synonym for winning souls.
• Are you fruitful as a Christian? Is your church or ministry fruitful?
• Often people mean, “Are many souls being won?”
• That meaning is found RARELY in Scripture.
• Most often fruit refers to inward character and the works that proceed from it… the fruit of the spirit… the fruit of righteousness… a holy life… Christlikeness… etc…
• Wherever the gospel goes – this kind of fruit is produced.
f. What a remarkable contrast between the law and grace.
• The law is a ministry of condemnation and death. (II Cor. 3:7,9)
• The gospel of God’s grace is a ministry of life and fruit!
• The law was restricted to one nation: Israel. The gospel of God’s grace is for the entire world!
2. This fruit was reproduced corporately in the church at Colosse.
a. “As it doth also in YOU…” (plural – the body of believers in Colosse).
b. There was evidence of spiritual fruit manifested in the assembly… evidence of life…
3. This fruit is produced in the individual lives of believers.
a. Paul states that when the gospel message “comes” to a person or a group of believes, it produces fruit.
b. The gospel, when received, ALWAYS produces fruit!
• It can’t HELP but produce fruit.
• The gospel is a seed of life. When it takes root in good soil, it always reproduces that life… that’s fruit!
• The seed of the gospel is sown… received in good soil (a believing heart) and germinates into a manifestation of LIFE… the life of Christ. That’s fruit!
c. There aren’t any exceptions to this rule either. There is no such thing as a true believer without any fruit.
d. I Thess. 2:13 – the word of the truth of the gospel EFFECTUALLY works in believers. It always works and produces fruit.
e. Heb. 4:12 – It is powerful and life giving. The word of God is quick = life giving! It always accomplishes God’s purpose in the heart… whether conviction… illumination… guidance… encouragement… and results in fruit.
f. Every true believer has experienced the life transforming power of the gospel. The gospel produces fruit wherever it goes… and into EVERY heart it enters by faith.
g. And this is universal. It produces the same fruit in Salem that it produces in the lives of believers in China or Uganda.
h. The gospel has gone into all the world and produces the very same fruit everywhere.
4. I Cor. 4:5 – every (Christian) man shall have praise of God!
a. When does every believer have praise of God? At the coming of Christ.
b. This refers to the time of the Bema Judgment Seat – when every true believer will stand before God to have his works judged.
c. This is NOT to see if he is going to heaven or not. In fact, the judgment seat occurs IN heaven! He is already there!
d. This is for believers who will be rewarded for their works done in the power of the Spirit and for the glory of God.
e. In that day, EVERY believer will have praise of God…
f. Yes, even the Corinthians! Yes even the carnal believer. Yes even the backslidden believer.
g. Every believer has done SOMETHING for the Lord in their lives.
h. Of course, there will be a great variation in the AMOUNT of praise and rewards believers will receive – but EVERY man shall receive some.
i. In context, Paul is defending his ministry.
• He had to say some pretty harsh things to the Corinthians because of their sins. He was quite critical in this book.
• Some of the believers evidently were judging Paul’s motives… they said he was just out for their money… that he was egotistical, taking too much power to himself.
• They criticized him because he was rebuking them… and they didn’t like it.
• Hence, Paul states here that one day the Lord will come and will reveal the “hidden things of darkness” and the “counsels of the heart.”
• The believers wrongly judged the hidden counsels in Paul’s heart… they didn’t KNOW his motives… and they accused him cruelly of all kinds of awful things.
• Paul says that at the Bema Seat, Christ will judge his motives perfectly… and the motives of other believers who were wrongly judged. And in that day – ALL men shall have praise of God… even if they received scorn on earth by men!
• At the Bema every man shall receive some praise from God… some reward… for even the carnal believer did SOMETHING right… he wasn’t ALWAYS carnal!
5. Matt. 13:1-9 – the parable of the soils
a. Jesus taught a parable about the relationship between the word of the truth of the gospel and fruit.
b. Vs. 18-19 – the word sown in soil by the wayside.
• This is soil that is hard packed… along side of a garden area where all the people walk.
• The seed lands on the hard soil, stays there, and is eventually eaten by birds.
• This individual hears the word, does not understand it, and the devil takes away what little understanding he did have.
• This seed produced NO FRUIT.
• This man is not a believer. The gospel produces fruit when received.
c. Vs. 20-21 – the word sown in rocky soil…
• This seed is sown in shallow soil… with a thin layer of soil over rock.
• A seed might begin to sprout there, but its roots cannot sink in.
• When the sun comes out, it withers up and dies.
• It produces no fruit.
• Hence, it pictures the man who hears the word, receives it superficially, but as soon as a trial comes, he departs, because his faith was not genuine. It was merely superficial.
d. Vs. 22 – the seen sown in thorns.
• This seed is sown in a thorn patch.
• As soon as it begins to sprout, the strong thorns choke it and it’s growth is thwarted.
• It might grow up tall and spindly… but does not develop properly.
• No fruit is produced. It becomes an unfruitful plant.
• This pictures the man who claims to receive the gospel, but because of the cares of this life… he is choked spiritually.
• This is not a true believer. No fruit is produced.
e. Vs. 23 – the seed sown on good soil.
• Here the Lord describes the one genuine believer.
• He is like the good soil. He receives the seed. The seed takes deep root… and it produces fruit.
• He understands the gospel and he bears fruit.
• True believers will bear fruit in differing capacities.
• Not all true believers produce much fruit… but all produce SOME fruit… every man shall have some praise of God.
• True believers exist in varying degrees of faithfulness and fruitfulness.
• Some believers waste precious time on things that do not result in fruit. Carnality… worldliness… sin… selfishness… or just trivial things…
f. Jesus clearly teaches here that when the gospel message takes root… when there is a genuine conversion… there will ALWAYS be some amount of fruit generated.
• A good tree bears good fruit.
• The branch that abides in the Vine bears MUCH fruit.
• John 15:8 – the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit… because the fruit borne reflects His image and His character… it is His work in us.
6. The fruit of the gospel is a demonstration of the power of God.
a. Rom. 1:16 – it is the power of God.
b. Only the power of God can take a sinner like me or like you – and transform that sinner into the image of His dear Son!
c. Only the power of God could take a cold, self centered, lifeless heart, and regenerate it… and then produce love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance in it!
d. The gospel is the power of God.
e. Only the power of God can so completely win over a man’s heart… that He causes a former enemy of God to love the Lord with all his heart!
7. The fruit of the gospel is a demonstration of its veracity… its truthfulness.
a. A false gospel cannot produce Christlike character…
b. A false gospel cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit …
c. A false gospel cannot produce life or substantiated hope…
d. But a false gospel CAN produce imitation fruit…
• Consider the wonderful works of the Catholic charities… cf. Matt. 7:23…
• Consider the wholesome family values being promoted by the Mormons… which is but a cheap veneer for the underlying evil of polygamy which they have promoted for many decades – covertly and overtly!
• Consider the holiness movement in Colosse which were being promoted under the guise of ascetic practices (touch not; taste not; handle not). They assumed that this was the fruit of holiness. Paul exposes it as the fruit of self righteousness!
• The true gospel always exalts the Lord Jesus… not the flesh… not our works… not the traditions of men… but Christ!
• The fruit of Christlike character is a demonstration of the reality of the supernatural power of the gospel.
• The real gospel produces real fruit… when planted in good soil… namely, a receptive heart.
e. The fruit of the gospel proves that the message is genuine.
• II Cor. 3:1-3 – Paul didn’t need letters of recommendation. The Corinthians themselves were his letter!
• The fact that they were alive unto God – born again – was the proof of Paul’s apostolic ministry. It was proof that he was an apostle of Christ and that the message he preached was the genuine gospel.
• The proof: it saved! It transformed lives! It gave new life and produced new creations in Christ!
The Gospel Brings Forth Fruit Immediately and Continually
1. Since the day ye heard of it…
a. The very MOMENT a person is saved, there is evidence of it.
b. The moment a baby is born he begins to cry – evidence of life.
c. There isn’t any maturity there… but there is FRUIT… evidence of LIFE.
d. It does not take 10 years to produce fruit…
e. Some fruit will be instantaneously demonstrated… as evidence of genuine life.
f. That’s why at the Bema seat EVERY man shall have some praise from God… every believer has evidenced SOME fruit.
g. One of the first things a new converts says or thinks is THANK YOU LORD for saving my soul! That thankful heart is fruit… Holy Spirit produced.
h. Gal. 4:6 – Remember – the new believer is indwelt by the Spirit at the moment of saving faith… and he will instantly cry Abba Father! That too is fruit… a newborn son acknowledging God as his Father!
i. Rom. 8:15-16 – in addition to acknowledging God as our Father, there will be an acknowledgement of our position as SON… the witness of the Spirit that we now belong to God!
j. I John 3:14 – Instantly, there will be an appreciation for other believers in Christ. This too is fruit – the supernatural produce of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.
k. All of this is FRUIT… the product of indwelling life… an evidence of a genuine conversion… of saving faith.
l. Religion can attempt to imitate this fruit, but can never produce it!
m. The fruit of brotherly love was evidenced in Colosse: showing love one to another…
2. This fruit was exhibited BEFORE the false teachers ever arrived!
a. Paul begins his epistle by subtly and gradually introducing ideas to support his purpose in writing: to oppose the false teachers in Colosse who were promoting “additions” to the gospel.
b. These false teachers were promoting angel worship; Jewish traditions and legalism; pagan asceticism, and Greek philosophy…
c. Paul carefully words this introduction to make it clear that the TRUE gospel they heard was BEFORE those false teachings later arrived in the city. (vs. 5)
d. Now in vs. 6 Paul states subtly, that the fruit of the Spirit was being manifested SINCE the very day they responded to the gospel in faith!
e. In other words, the message that SAVED them… the message that resulted in spiritual FRUIT was operating in and through them long BEFORE these other teachings came along…
f. They were already saved and bearing fruit long before these false teachers came along.
g. His point is clear: the word of the truth of the gospel is sufficient. You don’t NEED these other teachings. They are NOT going to help you bear fruit for the Lord. They will only hinder!
h. Worshipping angels isn’t going to bring you closer to God.
i. Touch not, taste not, handle not isn’t going to produce fruit.
j. Obsessing over foods and holy days isn’t going to produce holiness.
k. It will only produce self righteousness!
l. Paul begins this epistle by reminding his readers that the REAL fruit in their lives is to be traced back to the gospel message they heard long before the philosophers… and the legalists… and ascetics came along.
m. Their salvation, their spiritual growth, and the fruit borne through their lives was completely independent of these new teachings…
3. Paul lets the Colossians know that they didn’t NEED anything else… contrary to what the false teachers were telling them.
a. False teachers often scare new converts by stating that they are the ONLY ONES who have the key to heaven… the key to Christian living… the key to understanding truth…
• Ex: Mormons – adding another book to the Bible…
• Ex: 7th Day Adventists – adding Jewish law
• Ex: Rome – adding church tradition and ritual
• Ex: Many false teachers claim to have some special key that only they have… and that you need…
b. Paul strikes that down by stating that the true gospel came to Colosse AND it also is going throughout the whole world!
c. The truth of the gospel is not confined to one little elite group… no matter how loudly they claim it is so!
d. Truth doesn’t need to be amended!
• These false teachers came saying that it was good that the Colossians were saved, but they needed something ELSE in addition…
• Whether Jewish law or tradition… help from angels… Greek philosophy… etc…
• Their claims always imply that what we have in Christ isn’t enough… some special key is needed.
e. Col. 2:10 – they were complete in Christ.
• They didn’t need anything new added to their faith. He is ALL we need.
• That new born babe in Christ is complete in Christ.
• He has all he will ever need to grow, mature, and bear fruit.
• He has the indwelling Christ… the Scriptures… and now, eyes to see… and the illuminating & teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit!
• And he is part of the Body of Christ… the church… designed to help promote spiritual growth and maturity… till we all come into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
4. The gospel produced fruit from the very moment they KNEW the grace of God.
a. Knew: epignosko… (ginwskw with an intensifying preposition connected)
• It implies a FULL knowledge of; a deep understanding of…
• Lightfoot calls it: “a larger and more thorough knowledge; advanced knowledge through appreciation.”
• I Cor. 13:12 – now I know (gniskw) in part, but then, I shall be know (epignwskw) even as I am known.”
b. The Colossians heard the gospel and came to fully grasp the concept of grace. (Eph. 2:8-9)
c. Their salvation was genuine – for one MUST understand this concept before he can be saved… not of works… by grace through faith…
d. What does it mean to fully grasp the concept of grace?
• They recognized that they were unworthy…
• They recognized that they deserved hell and condemnation.
• They recognized that they were spiritual paupers and had nothing to offer God…
• They were destitute and could do nothing but to cry out for mercy… that’s understanding grace…
• They were like the publican in the temple. What a contrast to the proud Pharisee! He cast himself down in humility before God and cried for mercy… he knew he had no other hope!
• That is RELYING upon God’s grace… that’s faith!
e. Paul states that as soon as they understood and relied upon God’s grace – FRUIT was borne in their lives!
• At the moment they came to that full apprehension of… a full understanding of… from the moment the concept of salvation by grace really sunk in… and they received it… from moment on, they began bearing fruit.
• From the moment of saving faith, Holy Spirit produced fruit was evidenced in their new lives in Christ.
• Abba Father!
• Loving one another as brethren! That’s fruit! (vs. 4)
f. Thus, the Colossians – and anyone who truly grasps the concept of the amazing grace of God realizes that whatever men ADD to the gospel is not needed… it is not helpful… it can only be harmful!
• Hence, they should know that they didn’t need the traditions of men…
• They didn’t need the ascetic practices…
• They didn’t need the Greek philosophy…
• They had the truth of the gospel and they had Christ. They were complete.
• And the proof was all around them… they were spiritually alive and fruitful!
• And this new life and fruit was to be traced back to the gospel of God’s grace… and to nothing else.
5. The gospel bears fruit CONTINUALLY…
a. Brings forth fruit (one word) – present participle…continual action…it keeps on bearing fruit…
b. The bringing forth fruit BEGAN the moment they heard, and fully understood the gospel of God’s marvelous grace… and it CONTINUED to bring forth fruit… in the assembly… and in the individual lives of believers.
c. He who has begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
d. Consider the illustration Paul uses here of the gospel.
• The gospel is like a seed… a living seed.
• This living seed is sown… received into good soil…
• It then grows and bears fruit… a fruit which contains the same living seed in it.
• And that fruit which carries in it the same seed, has the potential to spread the seed and further propagate this life…
• Some translations add the word “and increases” in vs. 6.
e. Paul then prays that these believers would continue to be fruitful in every good work… (vs. 10)
• Has the gospel come to you?
• Have you fully grasped the concept of the grace of God?
• Have you received this grace into your heart… like a soil receiving good seed?
• If not – then you need to be saved! You MUST be born again!
• If you are saved, is the word of the truth of the gospel producing fruit in your life? Is there evidence of the life of Christ in you?
» Yield yourself unto God and HE will produce fruit in your life for His glory.
» Abide in Christ… draw near to Him… the result of that relationship is FRUIT…
» The natural result of this close relationship to Christ (illustrated by marriage!)… is fruit. (Rom. 7:4)
» The closer we get to Him in our daily walk… the more of His character will be reflected in our lives. That’s fruit… the kind that glorifies God.
Introduction:
A Teacher of the Truth
1. As ye also learned of Epaphras.
a. Epaphras was the one who brought the gospel message to the city of Colosse…
b. Evidently, Paul had not been to that city (2:1).
c. But Epaphras taught the people in that city about the gospel.
• Taught – μανθάνω – manthan-oh = to teach; the verb form of disciple…
• Epaphras enrolled many people in his discipleship class and he began to teach them the word of the truth of the gospel.
• Just as when the Lord took in disciples, some received it superficially and later departed; in others, it took root in good soil and they were saved! They became disciples indeed!
• They produced fruit… and much fruit!
• This was part of the Lord’s commission to spread the good news of the resurrected Savior… make disciples of all nations… and all cities – including Colosse.
d. God used this man, Epaphras, to bring the gospel there, and it is likely he who was used of the Lord to start the church in Colosse… and perhaps also in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
e. Some time after the church was established in Colosse, Epaphras visited Paul in prison in Rome. When Paul heard news of conditions in the church, (namely the false teachers), he was moved to write the Epistle to the Colossians… and wanted the church of Laodicea to read it too…
2. Col. 4:12a – Epaphras was a Colossian… one of them… and he brought the good news of Christ to his home town…
a. Hence, we learn something about this man. He had a heart to see people SAVED!
b. He was from Colosse. He grew up there. He had family there.
c. He was the perfect man for the job. He knew the language; the culture; the people; the problems; the manner of life; he WAS a Colossian!
d. He knew many people in that city… and now that he was saved, he realized that all of his old friends were still UNSAVED!
e. That’s one of the first things a new believer realizes… he perceives that those around him are still in darkness… just as he once was.
f. Someone brought the gospel to Epaphras and he was saved.
g. Now he had a desire to bring the gospel to others… especially to his hometown – Colosse!
h. John 1:40-42 – This was just what we saw in the lives of the other apostles… Andrew was introduced to Christ, and the first thing he thought of was bringing the good news to his brother, Peter!
3. Col. 4:13 – Evidently, he not only had a heart for the Colossians, but he also had a heart for other nearby cities – Laodicea and Hierapolis.
a. These 3 three cities were only about 10 miles apart – a tri-city region.
b. Hence, it is likely that Epaphras knew people in each of these other cities too… perhaps relatives.
c. He would have had many contacts… many opportunities to speak to people about Christ…
d. And the language and culture would have been the same…
e. The Lord chose Epaphras for this ministry… the perfect man for the job. Unbeknown to him, God ordained before the foundation of the earth for him to be reared in that region… for such a time as this – to be used as God’s instrument to bring the gospel there!
f. And note that vs. 13 states that he had ZEAL for these people.
• Zeal – excitement of mind, ardor, fervour of spirit
• He was eager… excited… full of enthusiasm to bring the gospel to these cities. He had a genuine zeal for those people!
• And not only zeal – but GREAT zeal… much zeal…
• He “hath” great zeal – continual action… this was his character… not just a passing spurt of excitement… continual zeal…
4. Application:
a. One of the first things that God puts in the heart of a new believer is a concern to see others saved.
b. Do YOU have that desire? Is it a ZEAL? Great zeal?
c. Perhaps you used to… but you have allowed that zeal to die down… the coals became cold… STIR UP those coals!
d. One of the best ways to stir up an interest in evangelism is to DO it… take advantage of the opportunities God does give – and you will soon see how exciting it is to share the good news… and to point men to Christ.
e. And who better to begin with than those closest to you? Relatives… coworkers… neighbors…
f. Mission boards spend lots of money and take years to train a person to go overseas, learn the language, learn the culture, make friends, try to “fit in,” so that they can then have opportunities to evangelize.
g. That wasn’t necessary for Epaphras. He was “one of them already!” So too with you… you are a New Englander! One of them! You know the language… you have contacts here already…
h. Take advantage of this great privilege – and share the gospel of Christ with those around you!
A Dear Fellowservant
1. Fellowservant: sundoulos – a servant with; an associate of a slave; one who serves the same master with another
a. Col. 4:12 – a servant of Christ – doulos of Christ… a servant.
• Here he is called a “sun-doulos”… this implies that he is a servant “along with others.”
• He served Christ… but not alone. He did so WITH many others, including the apostle Paul.
• Epaphras was a servant along WITH many other servants of the Lord.
2. Paul saw this man as his co-worker… a fellow worker… a fellow slave of Jesus Christ… and a fellowservant WITH Paul and Timotheos.
a. Paul saw Epaphras as doing the same work that he was… a fellow slave.
b. In most of Paul’s epistles, he begins by referring to himself as a “servant of Jesus Christ.” (Romans; Titus; Phil.; II Cor.; Gal.)
c. He sees Epaphras as doing the same work… for the same Lord… and accomplishing the same thing: the planting of local churches around the world… a fellowslave of Christ…
d. Paul, perhaps more than anyone, could appreciate the work that was involved in planting a church in a pagan land.
• Paul came into many cities, preached the gospel, and suffered greatly for it!
• He knew of the risks… of the dangers…
• He knew of the opposition that would be faced… local idol makers have their crafts and livelihoods put in jeopardy…
• Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra… beaten in Philippi… nearly torn in pieces in Jerusalem…and in Ephesus…
• Paul knew all about the danger and trouble that would face a man planting a church in such hostile territory…
• In fact, he was writing this letter from prison – for doing the very same work that Epaphras was doing in Colosse!
e. Thus, Paul referred to Epaphras as a fellowslave… one who was sold out to serving the Lord by preaching the gospel to the lost and supporting the planting of local churches for the glory of God.
3. This term OUGHT to characterize EVERY believer!
a. Unfortunately, it does not. Not every believer is a servant of Christ… a slave… even though we ought to be.
b. Too many believers serve OTHER things… other masters.
c. Rom. 6:16 – some yield themselves to sin and are servants of sin.
d. Titus 3:3 – Some serve pleasures and lusts…
e. Some serve their job… their family… their friends… but not Jesus Christ.
f. Some serve the world.
g. Rom. 1:25 – some serve the creation rather than the Creator
h. Matt. 6:24 – Some serve mammon.
i. Some are SELF-serving…
j. This was not the case with Epaphras. He served Christ… he was a slave of Christ… he had no will of his own… his meat was to do the will of the one who sent him! (John 4:34) A servant is to be selfless… attending to the needs of others… Epaphras was such a man… serving Christ…
4. As a “fellowslave,” this man saw himself as “one of many servants.”
a. He was not a maverick… not a lone cannon…
b. Rather, he worked with others in this great endeavor for the Lord… he was a slave… and there were many others.
c. Paul saw him as one of his personal colleagues… a fellowlaborer… with PAUL… doing the same work for the Lord, but in a different location.
• This may well have been said by Paul to help give more credibility to Epaphras in the church at Colosse.
• Once the false teachers invaded, they all claimed to have divine authority. Any fool can make such a claim.
• However, Paul sent Epaphras back to Colosse with this letter – a divinely inspired letter – from the hand of the most beloved apostle Paul… an indisputable authority figure known to ALL the churches.
• And in this letter, Paul puts Epaphras on the same level as himself – a FELLOWservant… he stands shoulder to shoulder with the great apostle on this account…
• This would prove to be quite valuable, as they would soon face an onslaught of false teachers…
• Perhaps some questioned his authority since he was not an apostle.
• This was Paul’s letter of recommendation to the congregation concerning Epaphras.
• If the believers in Colosse were to set aside the teachings they originally heard from Epaphras, now they were put on notice, that they were not only rejecting his authority, but also that of Paul and Timothy!
• Rejecting the authority of one was rejecting the authority of them all – for they were agreed!
• Not only would these words give credibility to Epaphras in the church, but it would serve another purpose too. It would serve to abolish the concept of a hierarchy in the local church. Paul – the ultimate authority – saw himself on the same level as Epaphras. He was no pope… but a fellowslave… standing shoulder to shoulder with this lesser known servant, Epaphras.
d. There are fellowservants of Christ all over the globe! We know some of them… Victor Ho in China; Luis Alfredo Lopez in Montevideo; Christian Sears in Germany; Mike Brunk in So. Africa; Dave McKee in West Africa; John Peront in Manchester NH; Bob DePue in Argentina;
e. There are fellowservants doing the same work all over the globe… preaching the gospel… the whole counsel of God… and establishing Bible believing and Bible teaching churches wherever the message takes root…
5. And note that Epaphras was called a DEAR fellowservant.
a. Dear = beloved (agapatos) – (as in My Beloved Son!)
b. Epaphras not only had authority in his position – authority that was recognized and commended by Paul… but in addition to having authority over the people, he was beloved BY the people!
c. He was a DEAR fellowservant… beloved.
d. Why wouldn’t the people of Colosse love him? He gave his all to bring the gospel message to them… and he poured his life into establishing a church there… and now he visits Paul and brings them a letter from the apostle – written for their edification.
e. They loved him and no doubt, he loved them.
f. I think it’s fair to say that many of the fellowservants we know as missionaries around the world are also DEAR to us… beloved… as we have grown to know them over the years… pray for them… pray with them… hear them share their ministry during missions conference…
A Faithful Minister of Christ
1. These two terms speak of the relationship Epaphras had with the apostles AND with the Colossians.
a. To Paul and Timothy, Epaphras was “our” dear fellowservant. He worked WITH Paul.
b. But FOR you (the Colossians), he was their faithful minister.
2. Epaphras was a servant (doulos – sun-doulos). He is here called a “minister” – diakonos…
a. Diakonos: one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister.
b. This is a term that is used of those who perform a service… a ministry… it is the word normally translated “deacon.” Epaphras was a deacon of Christ…
c. Both doulos and diakonos speak of a servant, but doulos is a bondservant… without a will in the matter. Diakonos speaks of willing service…
d. This speaks of the willingness of Epaphras to put himself into subjection to the will of God in serving Christ… and ministering to God’s people.
3. Paul emphasizes that Epaphras was a FAITHFUL servant.
a. He was faithful to the task to which God appointed him.
b. He was faithful in bringing the gospel to that city.
c. The fact that a church existed in Colosse was a testimony to his faithfulness.
d. In fact, it may be that Paul was also commending him for establishing churches in the nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. (Col. 4:13)
e. We know the trouble that later arose in Laodicea… and we know the trouble that had already arisen at the time of the writing of this epistle in Colosse…
f. As its leader, Epaphras could have quit when the going got tough… many leaders do.
• When the invasion of false teachers stirred up trouble…
• It seemed that there must have been several waves of false teachers – for there is quite a variety of doctrinal issues he raises in this book…
• One gets tired of fighting one battle after another in the local church…
• He could have given up and let the wolves take over… but he didn’t.
g. He stuck it out in good times and in bad times… and Paul praises him here for it.
h. He was a teacher and a servant – but what really made him valuable in the ministry was his faithfulness. (A faithful ambassador is health – spiritual health to the believers in that place!)
i. God would have each one of us to be faithful ministers in the local church – whatever our ministry might be… be faithful… reliable… trustworthy… dependable… consistent… be not weary in well doing…
4. Once again, Paul was putting the full weight of his own apostolic authority behind Epaphras.
a. Paul begins this epistle by letting the whole congregation know that Epaphras was a faithful deacon of Christ.
b. Thus, he is setting him apart from the false teachers… who did NOT serve Christ but their own bellies.
c. Paul identifies him as a “faithful minister.”
d. Paul did NOT identify all “ministers” as “faithful.” (Cf. II Cor. 11:13-15)
e. Some were unfaithful… some were actually false apostles who only posed as faithful ministers of Christ. They were in reality ministers of Satan.
f. Paul was not afraid to identify false apostles and ministers of Satan.
g. And when there was a faithful minister of Christ, Paul stood up for him… endorsed him… stood with him… and commended him before the people. That is just what Paul did for Epaphras.
h. I’ve been in the ministry long enough to know that not all ministers are faithful ministers…
5. Col. 4:12 – Epaphras was a faithful minister to the Colossians in part because of his faithfulness in prayer.
a. He labored for them fervently in prayer…
b. And notice what he prayed FOR:
• That they would stand perfect and complete in the will of God. (4:12)
• Paul’s prayers for the people were that they would be FILLED with the knowledge of His will… (1:9)
• Imagine if all of us here were FILLED with the knowledge of God’s will… and walked accordingly?
• This kind of praying puts God and His will at the center of everything.
• Epaphras taught and led this church – but not according to his own will… not according what he THOUGHT or FELT would be best… but rather, fervently sought the will of the Lord… “if the Lord will, we shall do this or that…”
c. In reality, it’s impossible to BE a faithful servant of God’s people without laboring in prayer… faithfully.
d. If prayer isn’t paramount, then God is not at the center of a ministry… and if that is not the case, then the ministry is operating in the power of the flesh.
e. That occurs far too often…
f. Our prayer meeting is the backbone of this church… my goal is to continue to teach on the importance of prayer until we see 100% of the body coming out to pray together… seeking God’s will… God’s mind… guidance… and just to praise Him!
g. It is also how the hearts of the people here are knit together…
A Reporter of the Church’s Progress (vs.8)
1. While Epaphras was with Paul in Rome, he reported to Paul about the condition of the church at Colosse… and in particular, about the love of God that was demonstrated there.
a. It’s one thing to be doctrinally sound… orthodox.
b. But that orthodoxy ought to be accompanied by the love of God for the brethren…
c. Without this kind of love in the Spirit the church may have all their paper work in order… sound, orthodox, fundamental… but cold! Let’s not be that kind of church.
d. God is truth… but He is also love…
e. The Colossians had the love in the Spirit…
2. Vs. 4 – Paul heard of the love that they had toward all the saints… brotherly love… (agape love directed at believers)
3. Now Paul states how Epaphras reported to him that their love was “in the Spirit.”
a. Where the truth is received… there ought to be a life filled with the love of God manifested – in real deeds… action…
b. It is good for a church to contend for the faith. That is what this epistle is all about… but it is also important for a church to demonstrate the life and love of God towards each other in every day living.
c. The Colossians demonstrated evidence of life…Spiritual fruit… produced by the Holy Spirit who indwelt them: love, joy, peace…
d. This was part of the progress report that Epaphras made to Paul as he shared what God was doing in Colosse… how the saints there had been demonstrating genuine love in the Spirit…
e. This was not a phony, showy kind of love – done to be seen of men. This was supernatural… the love produced in the life of a yielded believer… the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This was the real thing.
4. No doubt Epaphras had told Paul MANY other things about the church…
a. As you read this epistle it is clear that he also reported about those who were teaching Jewish tradition; Greek philosophy; pagan asceticism; and the like…
b. Paul addressed all those issues later.
c. But for now, he seems impressed with this one fact: that the Colossians had been manifesting agape love in the spirit…
d. Evidently Epaphras had talked much about this to Paul… and Paul was impressed with what he heard…
e. Thus, the apostle praises these folks for their love. Imagine getting a letter from Paul praising you for your love in the Spirit? That must have been a great encouragement to these folks!
5. Consider also the fact that with all the problems attacking the church at the time of the writing, Epaphras’ report highlights their love in the spirit in the midst of it all!
a. That is a remarkable quality for a church to have in such a time of attack…
b. Often when a church is attacked, and there are problems in the assembly, one might expect to see backbiting, division, gossip, and infighting.
c. That was NOT the case in Colosse. In the midst of their attack, what impressed Paul was their love in the Spirit…
d. And this says a lot about Epaphras too. Other men might have faced all the problems and attacks in the assembly and would have become discouraged… and reported to Paul about the problems exclusively… not Epaphras.
e. Isn’t that human nature to see only the problems? To see only the stains? Some men (and women!) have a nature such that they see only the problems… and not the good… only the bad in people and not the Christlike qualities…
f. There were PLENTY of issues in the church at Colosse… and they would all be dealt with in good time. But Epaphras was the kind of man who (in the midst of trying times and spiritual attacks) was still able to see the love of God being manifested in the saints.
g. BE that kind of person!
6. In spite of the problems that arose in that church, Paul was thanking God for its existence… (vs. 3)
a. He knew of their problems… he knew of the controversy brewing there…
b. But he also knew of their faith in Christ and the love which they had to all the saints…
c. He knew that the gospel Epaphras preached was producing fruit in that place…
d. And he knew that Epaphras was a faithful servant of Christ… and that if the saints rallied behind his leadership, refocused on Christ as Paul exhorts them… that the problems could be resolved…
e. Thus, Paul was thanking God for them, praying always for them. (vs. 3)
f. Paul wanted God’s best for these folks. He had never met them, but from prison he was doing what he could to encourage them in the truth… to support the man God sent there and the truth he was teaching… and to expose and reject all those who sought to undermine the work of God.
g. Can’t you see in this man Paul a LOVE for the local church? Can’t you see in this man Epaphras a love for the work of the Lord? They were servants… slaves of Jesus Christ… servants of God’s people… and God was glorified through it all.
h. May that be the case in this local church!
HOW do we show love to God? He’s invisible… He’s in heaven.
God doesn’t NEED anything from us.
We can’t improve His quality of life.
He isn’t sick; lonely; short of money; in the midst of a project where He needs a helping hand; He doesn’t have a fence that needs painting;
We can show love to God THROUGH the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
Christ is the Mediator between our invisible God and men upon the earth.
Our access to God is THROUGH Christ… the God-Man… He is the link.
The way we show love to God is THROUGH Christ and through His Body in particular.
Helping Christ’s Body is the way we show love to Christ… to God.
Ministering to the saints… edifying the Body… is the only way we can minister to God Himself…
A. Why persecutest thou Me?
B. Ministering to one of His “brethren” is ministering to Him.
But ministering to the Body of Christ has eternal value.
C. Aiding the Body of Christ is aiding those who love the Lord
D. Loving the brethren is an expression of the love for God
E. Loving the brethren is the WAY we show love to God
F. This makes the local church the most important institution on earth
G. The local church is where the saints gather… where we are ABLE to minister to one another on an ongoing basis… it is where the rubber meets the road… where real life applications are in play… where Scripture is practiced… the life and love of Christ is demonstrated…
H. How we treat the Body is an expression of our heart’s attitude towards God Himself.
I. If you don’t love the brethren whom ye see, how can you love God whom you can’t see?
J. “To dwell above with saints above, that will indeed be glory; to dwell below with saints we know, well, that’s another story!”
Love which you are HAVING… ongoing love… it’s never “done.”
Relationship between the faith and love.
K. Gal. 5:6 – faith is proven to be real by works of love.
L. If our faith is real… it WILL be expressed towards the brethren in DEEDS of love.
M. Faith is never alone. It always results in deeds of love…
N. If faith is genuine, it will produce fruit – the fruit of the Spirit – namely, LOVE for the brethren.
1. Epaphras brought a report to the apostle Paul about the spiritual condition of the church in Colossae.
2. He reported that they heard the gospel, they put their faith in Christ Jesus, that it effectually worked in their lives, that fruit was being borne by them, and that it was evidenced by their love in the Spirit.
3. Paul stated that since he heard this good report, he was constantly giving thanks to God and praying for them…
4. In vs. 9 and following he tells us exactly WHAT he prayed for…
5. We have before us a divinely inspired pattern of prayer for the Christian life.
a. The Lord Jesus left a pattern of prayer for His Jewish disciples as they anticipated the earthly kingdom.
b. Here the apostle Paul leaves a pattern of prayer for the Christian church… for those who have been raised into heavenly places in Christ… and have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings… whose citizenship has been transferred from earth to heaven…
We Do Not Cease to Pray for You
1. Paul and Timothy continued to pray for the Colossians since they heard the report from Epaphras.
2. After hearing the report concerning all the doctrinal attacks that had descended upon this little church, Paul saw the urgency of bringing them before the Lord in prayer daily…
a. Although many of them were probably dealing with sicknesses, and financial struggles, those issues were not the content of his prayers.
b. From heaven’s perspective, Paul had more important things to be praying about… their SPIRITUAL condition…
c. The real problem and danger facing these folks was not the fact that Fred was losing his vision, and that Alice might end up in a wheelchair… or even that the bank was about to repossess the farm from the McDougal family.
d. Their problem was not a lack of health or money…
e. The real danger was a lack of spiritual understanding and power!
3. Paul prayed that they would be FILLED with the knowledge of God’s will… because he sensed that they were being FILLED with other things.
a. 2:8 – someone was filling their heads with philosophy… a world view that was not compatible with their Christian faith. (A problem for us today too!)
• What could be more useless than human philosophy – even a religious philosophy designed to teach a Christian how to THINK… when we have the mind of Christ… and through His Word our mind is being renewed day by day?!
b. 2:16-17 – someone was filling their hearts with religious ceremonies, rituals, and traditions…
• What could be more useless than the Jewish rituals which were designed to give Israel a faint access to God… when we as Christians are already united with Christ… and indwelt by Him?
• What good is a mere symbol of access to God when we have genuine access to Him through the Spirit?
c. 2:18 – someone was replacing communion with Christ with angel worship.
• What possible good is it to be obsessed with angels, when we know the One who made the angels… the One whom angels adore?
d. 2:21 – they were filled with external legalism rather than with the grace of God in truth (cf. 1:6c)
• What good are rules designed to help make us holy, when in Christ, we are robed in HIS holiness?
e. 2:19 – they were being filled with all these other things – and were not holding the Head – Christ.
4. The particular KIND of philosophy or tradition was relatively insignificant.
a. What really mattered was that they were being filled with things other than Christ Himself!
b. They were occupied with angels rather than with Christ… with the religious symbols and shadows rather than Christ…
c. Other things were occupying their minds and hearts and souls… and those other things were hindering their communion with Christ… and growth in Him.
d. All of these “other things” passed off by the false teachers as special “keys” to aid in the Christian life, were in reality hindrances to the Christian life…
e. In our day and age there are groups still offering their special “keys” without which one cannot either be saved or walk with God. (Funny the early church seemed to do OK without these modern keys!)
f. It might be a new fad course being offered; it might be a new book; a tape series; a seminar; video; a new Bible teacher; a new fellowship of churches; secrets of psychology; the latest scientific discovery;
g. Many in Christendom today are being FILLED with all of these new religious fads… and their time, energy, money, and resources are poured into them… often times these fads are quite lucrative, making the promoter a wealthy man…
5. Paul knew of all these dangers, hence he did not cease to pray for the Colossian believers.
a. We ought not to cease to pray for one another – for we are surrounded today by MANY MORE fads, isms, cults, videos, philosophies, and new teachings than ever before in church history.
b. The new believer today is instantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information and literature to digest.
c. Sometimes we can innocently be part of the problem rather than the solution.
• We might give a new believer a pile of good tapes and doctrinally sound literature in hopes that he will get off on the right foot…
• We may mean well and may have good intentions… but what he really needs is to be encouraged to read the WORD!
• Point him to the Gospel of John or Romans rather than a book by Charles Ryrie or a tape by some radio preacher.
• As helpful as those tapes and books are, they are NOTHING compared to the inspired Word of God!
• Point him to Christ and His Word – and don’t cease praying for him… that he would be FILLED with what God wants him to be filled with.
• If we want to see a new believer get off on the right foot – encourage him to read the Scriptures for himself!
• FILL his mind and heart with it!
d. Having heard of all the doctrinal attacks on the church, the apostle Paul could foresee the real danger: believers would be filling their minds and hearts with the WRONG things.
• Paul knew that these new believers, now alive unto God would have a natural hunger and thirst for communion with Christ… and a longing for spiritual growth.
• Paul feared that the false teachers would take advantage of that hunger – and feed them full of their chaff… legal ordinances and traditions – rather than the Person of Christ.
• This is always the danger in the life of a new believer unless Christ is presented to him early on as the object of our faith… as the satisfaction of our hearts… as the rest for our souls… as the Bread of life…our all in all.
• Paul knew that if they didn’t start feasting on Christ, they would soon be filling themselves with other things.
• Hence, he prays for them to be filled with knowledge… the knowledge of God and His will…
• Paul prays, leaves these dear believers in God’s care, and trusts the Lord to work this in them.
e. Paul did not cease to pray for them – for he was aware of the potential danger to their new found faith in Christ…
The Knowledge of His Will
1. Paul’s desire was that the Colossian believers know God’s will.
2. Knowledge: epignoskw = a full or deep knowledge of; more than a superficial acquaintance.
3. These believers already knew the grace of God in truth. (vs. 6c)
a. They understood well the marvelous, saving grace of God.
• They heard the word of the truth of the gospel, responded in saving faith, and there were initial signs of life… fruit was borne…
• The Colossians were taught about salvation – the glorious truths of the amazing grace of God.
• These are truths that relate to the spiritual birth: regeneration; reconciliation; redemption; justification.
b. They knew of the saving grace of God… but now Paul wants them to come to a DEEPER knowledge of spiritual things; to a full knowledge of His will.
• It is possible to have a genuine and accurate knowledge of God, yet not deep.
• A newborn baby knows his mother… but that knowledge is not deep… yet. In time that knowledge will deepen… and grow.
• That was the case with the Colossians – they had a genuine knowledge of God… but not deep yet… and hence, the reason for Paul’s prayer.
• Paul prays that their knowledge would increase… and that it would grow deeper… fuller…
• There are many truths that relate to salvation… and then there are deeper truths that relate to HOW TO LIVE the Christian life… truths that relate to growth.
• Most of Christendom today glories in the truths that relate to spiritual birth – but when it comes to living the Christian life, in ignorance cry out, HOW TO PERFORM it I find not!
• Ignorance is not at all bliss in the Christian life. It is downright dangerous!
• Hearing salvation messages 52 Sundays a year does not promote spiritual growth.
• Paul knew the danger of the Colossians remaining babes… doting over the grace that saved them… and not going on to learn about the REST of the will of God… and how to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing!
• Thus, he prays that they would come to a FULL – not a superficial knowledge of God’s will…
• He wanted them to go BEYOND the grace of God that brings salvation to a deeper knowledge of God and His will.
• This is similar to the writer of Hebrews urging his readers to leave the principles (first things) of the doctrine of Christ and to go on to perfection – maturity!
• Paul put it this way in I Cor. 14:20 – “be not children in understanding… but in understanding be men.”
4. Most of God’s will has already been revealed… in the Scriptures.
a. It is fair to say that 99% has been revealed in the Word of God.
b. Somehow, believers seem to obsess over the few 1% that is not revealed, and are concerned less about the 99% of His will that is CLEARLY revealed.
c. We worry about what job to take, what house to buy, what school to attend, etc… aspects of God’s will not revealed.
d. However, if we paid as much attention to the other 99%, we would probably do just fine in ANY school – or at ANY job!
e. God is much more concerned about what KIND of person you are than in what house you live in… or which office you work in!
f. Even if we made ALL the wrong decisions in the unrevealed will of God, and got the rest right, we would be doing quite well. Getting a 99% on a test is not bad.
5. God’s will revealed in Scripture is all encompassing.
a. It includes His will for our lives; our character; commands both positive and negative.
b. But it also includes His whole marvelous, eternal plan for the universe… and how we fit in to that plan. (Eph. 1:5, 9, 11)
6. God’s will includes God’s plan and purpose for the world and for our lives in particular…
• I Pet. 2:15 – ?For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
• I Thess. 5:18 -?In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
• I Thess. 4:3 -?For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.
• God’s will is for us to grow… mature… become more and more like Christ… set apart from the world… set apart unto God… sanctified.
7. Being ignorant of God’s plan and purpose results in spiritual weakness, worldliness, and will make us susceptible to the false teachers… and to a spiritual FALL!
i. In Eph. 4:13-14 – Paul states that a lack of knowledge results in immaturity… and liable to be ruined by the false teachers.
ii. Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”
8. John 7:17 – God’s will is not merely intellectual.
a. If any man will DO His will, he shall KNOW.
b. Jesus states that knowing His will is not just an intellectual exercise. It is an exercise of the heart.
c. One must be WILLING TO DO… before he can know.
d. Only the surrendered heart can have a deep and experiential KNOWLEDGE of God and His will.
e. If we are unwilling to put our all on the altar… unwilling to yield or surrender… then we will have just a superficial knowledge of God and His will.
f. Shallow at best. The average Christian seems satisfied with that level of relationship to God.
g. The hungry believer will want MORE… something deeper… richer… fuller… and his hunger and thirst will be FILLED.
9. Col. 2:3 – Having a full knowledge of God’s will requires a full, rich, and deep knowledge of and relationship to Christ… for in HIM are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Knowing Christ is true spiritual knowledge…
Filled With the Knowledge of His Will
1. Filled:
a. That ye might be filled = subjunctive — suggests an experiential filling. Paul wanted them to be filled… but it was not certain that all would be.
b. Passive indicates that they themselves were not the ones who did the filling. The one doing the filling was outside of them… obviously, the Lord.
c. The term means: controlled by…
• Luke 4:28 – filled with wrath… so full of it that it becomes a controlling factor…
• Acts 13:52 – filled with joy and the Holy Spirit = full in the sense of being controlled by it…
• Eph. 5:18 – filled with the Spirit = controlled by.
• Col. 4:12 – Epaphras prayed that they would stand COMPLETE (same word) in the will of God.
• Epaphras was praying for the very same thing Paul prayed for – and for the same people. Both of these men saw the need for this kind of filling.
• I Pet. 4:2 – That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.? Our whole lives are to be lived in the will of God. This is not an insignificant issue…
d. Thus, Paul and Epaphras not only wanted the Colossian believers to have knowledge of God’s will — but to be filled with it… to be controlled by it… consumed by it… so that it governs their every thought, word, and deed.
• The prayer is for believers to be controlled by knowledge… a deep knowledge. (not by feelings, circumstances, fads, pressure, or experiences…)
• This is spiritual growth… maturity… governed and controlled by a deep, spiritual understanding of God and His will.
• Col. 3:10 – The new man is to be continually renewed in knowledge…
e. This is the life of a man who has reckoned himself to be dead to sin and self. He is dead to self will and alive unto God’s will.
• Here is a man who walks about every day thinking, “Not my will but thine be done.” (Christlike thinking; God’s will for His sons).
• He is dominated by… controlled by… a full, DEEP, comprehensive knowledge of God’s will…
• This governs all of his choices…all of his actions… the whole direction of his life… his goals… purposes…
2. We need to be filled with the knowledge of His will because the devil always attacks the MIND… how we think…
a. II Cor. 4:4 – The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not…
b. II Cor. 10:5 – Our minds need to be brought under subjection… captivity to Christ…
c. Rom. 12:2 – Our minds need to be renewed day by day…
d. The false teachers were attacking the minds of the believers in Colosse… and the devil will attack our minds too…
e. If our minds are not filled with the knowledge of His will, they will be filled with something else…
f. The devil exploits our ignorance… and Paul knows that.
3. If a man is filled with his own will, he cannot be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Self-will interferes with the knowledge of God!
a. Nobody ever needed to learn how to exert self will. It comes naturally – and that is the problem. It is natural.
b. Little babies come right out of the womb exerting self will… crying for this and that… as if they were the center of the universe… demanding attention… demanding their own way… and usually getting it!
c. As believers we need to LEARN HOW to be delivered from a life of self will… a life that is dominated by our own selfish desires…
d. We need to learn what “not my will but Thine be done,” really means in everyday life. This IS Christlikeness.
4. This all requires KNOWLEDGE…
a. God does not treat us like babies, but as full grown sons.
b. Neither does God treat us as dumb animals… but as thinking, intelligent being… able to take in knowledge and use it aright.
c. Psalm 32:8-9 – the Lord wants to teach and guide each of His children. He expects that we respond more intelligently than a dumb animal which needs to be FORCED into proper action.
d. Paul tells the Colossians that God wants them to be filled with knowledge which will enable them to learn how to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…
In All Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding
1. The terms:
a. Wisdom: (Sophia) – the general term for wisdom of all sorts.
• This is the wisdom that is from above… and is characterized by Christlike qualities. (James 3:17)
• This wisdom stands in contrast to the wisdom of the world…
b. Understanding: this is a more particular term, referring to the application of wisdom to real life.
• Expositors define sunesis as: “the special faculty of intelligence or insight which discriminates between the false and the true and grasps the relations in which things stand to each other.”
c. Spiritual: this term applies to BOTH the wisdom and understanding. (controlled by the indwelling Holy Spirit)
• The Holy Spirit gives the believing sinner LIFE.
• The Holy Spirit indwells the believer.
• The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds to the knowledge of God’s will in His word.
• The Holy Spirit enables us to apply that truth to life.
• The Holy Spirit controls the yielded believer… and the result is that the believer is thus “spiritual”…
d. This spiritually minded believer will be discerning…
i. He is FILLED – with the Holy Spirit… and with the knowledge of God’s will.
ii. This kind of filling or control results in the knowledge of God’s will operating in the realm of discernment…
iii. What a powerful life – when the believer is filled with BOTH – knowledge and the discernment to put it to good use.
iv. Truth is not merely an intellectual pursuit. It involves and requires the intellect, but truth is not fully grasped until it is LIVED. Then it becomes ours. That’s when it sinks in.
v. That is true wisdom… and spiritual understanding… to KNOW truth… in head and heart…
vi. Eph. 5:17 – spiritual wisdom demands that we KNOW the will of the Lord… a deep knowledge of God’s will.
2. Paul was not content to know that the Colossians were saved. Nor was he content to know that they were saved and well taught.
a. It is possible to be saved and to be well taught… and not have the discernment to put that knowledge into practice.
b. It is possible to be saved, to know God’s will – and to lack the discernment to know HOW to use it…
c. Solomon was saved. He had lots of knowledge and wisdom… but did not have the discernment to LIVE it…
d. Phil.1:9 – Paul prayed this for the Philippians: “that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” — knowledge plus discernment to use it wisely…
3. The natural man can know nothing of this kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding it is foolishness to him.
• The carnal, worldly minded believer will also scoff at it as foolish.
• I Cor. 2:15 – The spiritual man is understood by very few people… his wisdom and spiritual understanding is foreign to them… he is discerned of no one.
4. In some circles in Christendom, knowledge is considered a second class citizen… as if knowledge were almost UN-spiritual.
a. Men glory in ACTION… and care little for thought.
b. Men want to know what to DO… and care little for what they should BE…
c. Men are more concerned about how they FEEL rather than how they should think…
d. Too often we hear Christians say, “I don’t care about theology. I just care about Jesus.”
e. Some look at studying and knowledge of theology to be mere academics. Now it CAN be… but it should not be. It ought to be a very SPIRITUAL exercise…
f. The charismatic movement today has exalted experience and feelings OVER knowledge.
g. They seek to bypass the intellect and aim directly at the heart and emotions. Not so with the apostle Paul. He appeals to the head first… so that truth is understood… and THEN and only then can it sink in and affect the heart.
h. Bypassing knowledge and learning is not at all spiritual. It is spurious! It is dangerous!
i. Here Paul peels off the superficial veneer so all can see how shallow, shameful, and spurious is their claim.
j. Paul prays that believers would be filled with a deep knowledge of the will of God… nothing shallow or superficial about that!
k. Paul prays for believers to be FILLED with knowledge of God’s will IN all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
l. There is nothing unspiritual about studying a book – we are spiritual beings, consisting of intellect, emotion, and will. A spiritual man is spiritual in all areas of life.
m. Sometimes believers today shy away from doctrine… from knowledge of the Bible… they view studying theology as useless and unrelated to life as studying some of the courses they took in college – which information they have never had any practical need for. Not so with doctrine. We will see in the next passage that the purpose of this knowledge is THAT we might walk worthy!
• Luke 11:34 – When the eye is single, the whole body shall be full of light…
• When the believer is single-minded and focused only on Christ, he is FULL of illumination… full of wisdom and discernment…
• Spiritual understanding is not the result of study ONLY. It is the result of study PLUS a close relationship to Christ…
5. Paul prays for a filling with deep knowledge of God’s will.
a. AND he prays that that knowledge would operate in the SPHERE of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
b. It is one thing to have knowledge – even a deep knowledge.
c. It is another thing to have the spiritual wisdom and understanding (discernment) to put it into practice…
d. This part of the prayer is that the believers would not only have the knowledge, but would KNOW what to do with it!
Introduction:
1. The false teachers who had begun their evil work in Colossae gloried in what they viewed as their special knowledge.
a. They told the Colossian believers that if they followed their teachers, they too could have this special knowledge…
b. Their teachings later developed into Gnosticism… (gnosis was a favorite word of the Gnostics.)
c. Paul prays for the Colossians using the very language of the cult… however, giving it distinctly Christian meaning — true knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
2. Paul’s desire was that the Colossian believers know God’s will.
a. Knowledge: ἐπιγινώσκω – epiginōskō = a full or deep knowledge of; more than a superficial acquaintance;
b. These believers already knew the grace of God in truth. (vs. 6c)
c. They understood well the marvelous, saving grace of God.
d. But now Paul wants them to come to a DEEPER knowledge of spiritual things; to a full knowledge of His will.
3. Paul prays that they would be FILLED with this deep knowledge of God’s will… in other words, that it would have a controlling effect on their lives.
a. God wants us to be intelligent Christians and KNOW His word and will.
b. God wants this knowledge of His will to RULE in our lives… control our decisions… and choices…
c. To be filled with the knowledge of His will means that we must be willing to leave our will behind – not my will but thine be done… (that is a pre-requisite to knowing His will!)
4. Paul takes his prayer request a step further.
a. It is possible to know much about God’s will… to know much about what the Bible says, and still not have the DISCERNMENT to know how to put it to use in real life.
• Knowledge and wisdom are not the same.
• In January 1970, Max Born died. A close friend of Albert Einstein, he was one of the great minds of the twentieth century. In an interview on German television before his death, Born commented: “I’d be happier if we had scientists with less brains and more wisdom.”
• Knowledge and wisdom are not the same.
b. Paul prays for believers to be filled with knowledge… but also that that knowledge would be operative in the sphere of wisdom and spiritual discernment for the believers at Colossae.
c. May this be the prayer request we continually pray for one another too… (this is HOW to pray…)
All Wisdom
1. The term: Wisdom: (Sophia) – the general term for wisdom of all sorts; the general principles of wisdom.
2. The word spiritual that appears before understanding in English grammatically is linked to BOTH wisdom and understanding.
a. This spiritual wisdom stands in contrast to the wisdom of the world…
b. Men of the world have wisdom… in earthly things.
• Men use wisdom to build successful businesses… to build empires… in conducting their earthly lives… and dealing with other people.
• In fact, most of the book of Proverbs deals with wisdom that the unsaved could incorporate into their earthly lives and improve their earthly lives immensely.
• Consider the many proverbs that deal with diligence; the safety that comes from a moral life; avoiding criminals; careful use of one’s tongue; good stewardship with one’s material goods; carefully choosing one’s friends.
• But that is not spiritual wisdom… until it is applied in the spiritual realm.
• The natural man CANNOT understand the spiritual realm. It is foolishness to them. They are dead to the spiritual realm.
• Men in the world have discussed the subject of wisdom and philosophy for centuries… the world has produced many wise philosophers and sages – wise in the ways of the world.
• But that is a different kind of wisdom… one which deals with life on earth… life in the natural realm.
• Paul’s prayer is that believers would have the knowledge of God’s will – and that that knowledge would be governed by spiritual wisdom… the wisdom to know how to put that knowledge to good use for the glory of God.
3. Examples of SPIRITUAL wisdom:
a. Psalm 107:43 – wisdom enables a man to see the lovingkindness of God in the everyday affairs of life.
• Can you see God’s lovingkindness in your declining health?
• Can you see God’s lovingkindness in that bitter experience you just endured?
• Can you see God’s livingkindness in your recent failure… when you fell flat on your face spiritually?
• True, spiritual wisdom enables us to see God’s grace and kindness everywhere and in all things… not just when He rescues us from trouble or tragedy, but even when He allows us to go right THROUGH those deep waters!
b. Hosea 14:9 – the wise understand the ways of the Lord
• Who is wise? The one knows that the ways of the Lord are right…
• The ways of the Lord include… returning to the Lord after a fall (14:1), praising Him (vs. 2), being healed from backsliding (vs. 4), experiencing God as the dew (vs. 5), dwelling under His shadow (vs. 7).
• It is the way of wisdom to realize that we are going to fall on occasion… but wisdom demands we get back up and continue on in the ways of the Lord…
• It was spiritual wisdom that enabled Paul to understand the ways of the Lord when he struggled and failed… and finally cried out, “O wretched man that I am…” – and from that failure LEARN God’s ways… of faith…
c. Psalm 51:6 – a God-taught wisdom is known deep down in our gut… and often through the worst of circumstances…
• In this Psalm David repents of his sin with Bathsheba.
• Through this awful experience David LEARNED wisdom… deep down in his soul… like he never knew wisdom before…
• He now knew experientially how sinful, painful, and damaging his sin really was… that is wisdom… to learn to hate evil and depart from it.
• Nobody has a more thorough, experiential knowledge of the dangers of alcohol than an alcoholic…
• Nobody has a more thorough, experiential knowledge of the awful consequences of immorality than one who has failed in that arena.
• David learned the hard way… that God desires TRUTH in our inner parts… perhaps David had been lying to himself… knowing that he had been lustful, but always believing he was above falling in that area. He learned the ugly truth about himself… way down deep in his soul.
• Through his failure came spiritual wisdom. He learned that lesson… like a little boy who is told 1000 times that the stove is hot… but doesn’t REALLY learn the lesson till after he burns his hand. Burnt hands hurt!
• David learned a spiritual lesson – about being honest with himself about himself… that’s spiritual wisdom.
d. Psalm 90:12 – teach us to number our days… (for the Lord) so we may apply our hearts to wisdom…
• Wisdom must be applied from the heart… not just intellectual data… but knowledge that is applied… right from the heart.
• Wisdom includes an acknowledgement that our days on earth are limited, and it is eternity that really matters.
• It is one thing to know this intellectually (that our days are numbered) – it is quite another thing to LIVE like we knew it… and use our time wisely.
• That’s wisdom… realizing that our time on earth is short… precious… and to be handled with care… and used for the glory of God.
e. Prov. 11:2 – true wisdom is with the lowly… proud men know nothing of this kind of wisdom…
• Wisdom walks humbly with God…not in egotism or self will, but walking humbly and softly before the One who is able to make the simple wise… before the One who is able to shine light and illumination on our spiritual pathway… /
• Wisdom bows humbly and reverentially before God’s Word… in those areas that we don’t understand… or seem hard to believe… or seem contrary to experience… wisdom bows before the inspired Word of God… and lets God be God.
• Wisdom recognizes that that which seems so puzzling to us and so difficult to us is not difficult at all to the Lord.
• Wisdom accepts that… and bows humbly before it…
• Peter tells us that if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will exalt us in due time.
• Spiritual wisdom says that the way to be lifted up is to bow down… all our dreams and ambitions in ashes at His feet…
• With the lowly is wisdom… spiritual wisdom.
f. Prov. 9:10 – the fear of the Lord is the beginning of this kind of wisdom.
• Spiritual wisdom begins with the fear of God.
• A godly fear and reverence is the backdrop for all the thoughts, words, motives, goals, and deeds…
• The man with spiritual discernment never steps outside of the realm of godly fear… reverence…
g. Col. 1:28 – it is the responsibility of church leaders to TEACH the saints about wisdom… the ways of wisdom… it is part of maturity.
• Here Paul acknowledges that the saints need to be taught in the ways of wisdom…
• Spiritual wisdom doesn’t just descend on us from on high… like the dew of heaven. It is to be taught… and learned…
• One of the reasons for the local church is that the church leaders – who ought to HAVE discernment… are to teach that discernment to the Body…
• As we study through Colossians, the concept of spiritual wisdom and understanding appears over & over again!
• Col. 3:16 – let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
• Col. 4:5 – it is our testimony to the world – to walk in wisdom.
h. Jas. 3:13 – spiritual wisdom is SHOWN in a meek, Christ-like life…
• James acknowledges here that problems DO arise among God’s people…
• Sometimes God’s people – yes even in the local church – can bring strife and envy and confusion into the Lord’s House… (vs. 14-15)
• This is the result of applying earthly, sensual wisdom.
• Jas. 3:17 – But God’s wisdom is first pure… etc… this wisdom is characterized by Christ-like qualities…
• Remember that the next time trouble brews in the local church… true wisdom is not to be found in the proud know it all who demands his own way.
• True wisdom is to be found in the humble saint whose wisdom is manifested in purity… peace… gentleness… easily entreated… etc…
• True wisdom is Christ-likeness.
• Remember that the next time trouble brews in your home… or at the office.
• You may not know what to DO right away… the course of action might not be immediately apparent… but what to BE is paramount… that is true wisdom…
• When family problems arise, there is a lot of wisdom in being lowly enough to say, “I don’t know what to do. Let’s ask God for help and guidance. And let’s manifest Christ-like qualities until we KNOW for sure which way to go and what to do…”
• THAT is wisdom from above: meek; humble; God- fearing; humbly seeking wisdom; no partiality; and easily entreated and submissive when God is ready to guide… “speak Lord, for thy servant heareth…”
• Wisdom is more than knowledge. It is a spirit… an attitude… like the wisdom of a little child holding out his hand for his father to lead him along…
5. ALL wisdom…
a. All wisdom refers to all kinds of wisdom…
b. All kinds of applications of spiritual wisdom…
c. Spiritual wisdom needs to be operating in EVERY area of our lives.
d. Is there any area of your Christian life where you DON’T need spiritual understanding? (home; office; getting along with the unsaved; working in the world; dealing with problems in the local church; problems in the family; making decisions;
Spiritual Understanding
1. Understanding: While the term sophia is a more general term for wisdom, this is a more particular, specialized term, referring to discernment… the application of wisdom to real life.
a. Expositors’ defines sunesis as: “the special faculty of intelligence or insight which discriminates between the false and the true and grasps the relations in which things stand to each other.”
b. We might think of this term as discernment… sound judgment… a good sense of smell… able to smell the difference between that which is spiritually healthy and that which is foul and corrupt…
2. Spiritual understanding as discernment:
a. Spiritual understanding is able to SMELL fleshly wisdom (II Cor. 1:12). (I smell something foul in the church growth movement today – using Madison Avenue techniques to get people into the church… marketing Christianity… and molding it and changing it to meet the demands of the market…)
b. Spiritual understanding is able to SEE through the outward show (appearance) of wisdom (Col. 2:23)… and an outward show or a “form” of godliness in the ecumenical movement… getting along with all religions… the awful, corrupting influence of the charismatic movement has penetrated even as far as fundamental circles…
c. Spiritual understanding can SENSE when worship is of the flesh or the Spirit. (Phil. 3:3) I can sense something terribly wrong with the new wave type worship spreading across our country in the past decade or so… worldliness in worship… rock music… casual dress… dumbing down of the sermons… emphasis on entertainment rather than learning God’s Word… and growing in the knowledge of His will…
d. Spiritual understanding can SPOT a counterfeit and isn’t fooled by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness used by false teachers to confuse and ultimately capture ignorant, untaught believers. (Eph. 4:14) Can you spot a counterfeit? Study the original!
e. Spiritual understanding can DISTINGUISH the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. (I John 4:1,6)
f. Ezra 4:3 – Zerubbabel had discernment… when the Jews adversaries offered to help them build the temple, Zerubbabel had the discernment to say, “Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God…”
g. Neh. 6:2 – Nehemiah had enough discernment to know not to cooperate with Tobiah and Sanballat — he knew they were enemies of God, that they wanted to distract him from the Lord’s work, and to cause him to compromise… Nehemiah knew that they had nothing in common… no basis for working together…
h. Paul was trying to drill some discernment into the heads of the Corinthians by warning them that the enemy attacks through counterfeiting the truth… another gospel, another Jesus, another spirit…
How Spiritual Discernment is Attained:
PRAYER
1. Spiritual understanding is what we commonly refer to as discernment. Not all believers have it… hence Paul constantly prays for discernment for the saints in all the churches.
a. For the Colossian believers (Col. 1:9) – discernment in the will of God… and walking in it…
b. For the Philippian believers (Phil. 1:9-10) [that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment].
c. For the Ephesian believers (Eph. 1:17) – that God would open their eyes with respect to their position in Christ…
2. ASK – through personal prayer (Jas. 1:6-7)
a. God GIVES discernment… but not every believer has discernment. Not every asks.
b. We proudly assume we don’t need spiritual wisdom in this situation or that… until we fail repeatedly…
THE WORD OF GOD
1. It is necessary to PRAY for discernment, but don’t stop there. Discernment GROWS out of a clear understanding of God’s Word… the knowledge of His will… there are no shortcuts.
a. SEEK – Those who seek wisdom shall find her – if we seek her like those who seek for precious metals (Prov. 2:2-6)
• Dig for it in the word… like gold diggers who are hungry for a deep mine full of gold!
• God feeds us in proportion to our hunger. The hungry soul is fed.
• The soul that feeds on the chaff won’t be hungry for what God offers.
b. STUDY – Through studying the Word of God – coming to a full knowledge of His will in His Word!
• Study to show thyself approved of God!
• Knowledge of God’s will and Word isn’t automatic in the Christian life. We are to study and learn.
• The Bible says that even Jesus had to grow in wisdom…
CONSECRATION
1. Such wisdom and discernment is only ours through dedication to Christ… an abiding relationship TO Him…
a. Jesus said that “Without Me ye can DO nothing.” But not only can we DO nothing… in another sense, we will not experience true spiritual wisdom either.
b. Col. 2:3 – In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
c. Luke 11:34 – When the eye is single, the whole body shall be full of light… a single eye brings supernatural illumination…
d. When the believer is single-mindedly focused on Christ, he is FULL of illumination… full of wisdom and discernment…
e. I Cor. 1:30 (Cf. vs. 20-21) — in Christ, He (Christ) is made unto us WISDOM…
• Spiritual understanding is not the result of academic study ONLY.
• It is the result of study PLUS a close relationship to Christ… study PLUS a life that revolves around Christ… that is constantly looking unto Jesus… seeking His face… His guidance…
• No wonder the man who wrote Col. 1:9 stated as his life’s goal: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection!”
c. The heavenly-minded believer, focused on Christ and things above, who is filled with or controlled by the knowledge of God’s will, will be discerning in spiritual things.
• He is FILLED with the Holy Spirit… and filled with the knowledge of God’s will…
• This kind of Spirit filling or control is a prerequisite for the knowledge of God’s will to operate in the realm of discernment…
• What a powerful life – when believer is also filled with BOTH knowledge and the discernment to put it to good use… because he is connected to God… filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit.
• Truth is not merely an intellectual pursuit. It involves and requires the intellect, but truth is not fully grasped until it is lived out in the spiritual realm… where it is experienced. Then it becomes ours. That’s when it sinks in.
• That is true wisdom… and spiritual understanding… to KNOW truth… in head, heart and life.
2. Paul was not content to know that the Colossians were saved. Nor was he content to know that they were saved and well taught.
a. It is possible to be saved and to be well taught (intellectually) and not have the discernment to put that knowledge into practice.
b. It is possible (it happens all the time!) for a believer to have much good, Biblically sound doctrine and knowledge in his head, and to be BUSY doing things for God… and omit that close heart communion and relationship to Christ… hence, he will lack discernment.
c. He knows doctrine and is busy serving – and to do it all APART from the realm of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
d. This believer LOOKS like he is a wise and faithful servant… but he may be desperately lacking spiritual wisdom and discernment… and easily tossed to and fro… or become a follower of men…
e. It is possible to be saved, to know much about God’s will – and to lack the discernment to know HOW to use it…
f. Solomon was saved. He had lots of knowledge and wisdom… but did not have the discernment to put it into practice…
g. Phil.1:9 – Paul prayed this for the Philippians: “that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” — knowledge plus discernment to use it wisely…
3. I Cor. 2:14 – The natural man can know nothing of this kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding it is foolishness to him.
• The carnal, worldly minded believer will also scoff at it as foolish.
• I Cor. 2:15 – The spiritual man DISCERNS all things… but is understood by very few people… his wisdom and spiritual understanding is foreign to them… he is discerned of no one.
a. There is a direct connection between being spiritual and being discerning…
b. The spiritual man is yielded… surrendered… walking by faith… leaning on Christ for every step… looking to the Lord… focused on Christ and things above… and thus his whole body is FULL of light… wisdom… discernment…
c. Discernment includes the intellect, but is far more than mere intellect. It is called SPIRITUAL discernment… and is the possession only of a spiritual man.
d. It cannot be possessed by the unsaved… NOR by the carnal Christian.
e. The flesh knows nothing of it. To the carnal mind it is foolishness… this is so even of the carnal Christian.
f. They LAUGH at us and mock us because of some of our practices which stem from spiritual discernment…
g. Phil. 1:9-10 demands that we discriminate between things that mediocre and things that are excellent… and when we sacrifice to chose the excellent things, we are ridiculed…
h. Lev. 10:10 – the Old Testament priests had to teach people the difference between holy and unholy… clean and unclean. Some things were obvious. Other things were not so obvious and required spiritual discernment.
i. We are discriminate and use sound judgment in areas of dress… music… what we read and watch… where we go…
j. The unbelieving liberals mock us. But so do the New Evangelicals!
4. In some circles in Christendom, knowledge is considered a second class citizen… as if knowledge were almost UN-spiritual.
a. In some circles, men glory in ACTION… and care little for thought.
• Men want to know what to DO… and care little for what they should BE…
b. In other circles, believers are more concerned about how they FEEL rather than how they should think…
• Too often we hear Christians say, “I don’t care about theology. I just care about Jesus.”
• Some look at studying and knowledge of theology to be mere academics. Now it CAN be… but it should not be. It ought to be a very SPIRITUAL exercise…
• The charismatic movement today has exalted experience and feelings OVER knowledge.
• They seek to bypass the intellect and aim directly at the heart and emotions.
• Not so with the apostle Paul. He appeals to the head first… so that truth is understood… and THEN and only then can it sink in and affect the heart.
• Bypassing knowledge and learning is not at all spiritual. It is spurious! It is dangerous!
• Here Paul peels off the superficial veneer so all can see how shallow, shameful, and spurious is their claim.
c. Paul prays that believers would be filled with a deep knowledge of the will of God… nothing shallow or superficial about that!
d. Paul prays for believers to be FILLED with knowledge of God’s will IN all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
e. There is nothing unspiritual about studying a book – we are spiritual beings, consisting of intellect, emotion, and will. A spiritual man is spiritual in all areas of life.
• Obtaining spiritual wisdom and understanding is not a mystical experience.
• Rather, it is a stewardship of the intelligence God gave us… and expects us to use.
• Being spiritual does not mean we leave our brains at the front door. We are NOT to “let go” of our mind and emotions and let God take over.
• In fact, the evidence of true spirituality is self control – which includes control over our mind. The Spirit filled man has complete control over all of his mental faculties … and is using his intellect to THINK… reason, test, discriminate, evaluate, compare, analyze, and ultimately judge.
f. Truth is aimed at all three parts of man – but it must enter the head first… then the heart… then the will… order matters.
g. Sometimes believers today shy away from doctrine… from knowledge of the Bible… they view studying theology as useless and as unrelated to life as studying some of the courses they took in college – which information they have never had any practical need for.
h. Not so with doctrine. We will see in the next passage that the purpose of this knowledge is THAT we might walk worthy!
i. Knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding are all directly related to our walk.
6. Paul prays for a filling with deep knowledge of God’s will.
a. AND he prays that that knowledge would operate in the SPHERE of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
b. It is one thing to have knowledge – even a deep knowledge.
c. It is another thing to have the spiritual wisdom and understanding (discernment) to put it into practice…
d. This part of the prayer is that the believers would not only have the knowledge, but would KNOW how to apply it! That’s discernment.
7. Discernment is needed in our day and age. (Matt. 10:16)
a. When Jesus sent His disciples into the world, He did so after teaching them for 3½ years. He taught them the knowledge of the will of God.
b. However, He also challenged them to be discerning.
c. He reminded them that they were sheep among wolves. The world is a hostile place to the believer and to Christianity.
d. Wolves tear sheep to pieces and feed off their flesh. That is Jesus’ picture of the relationship between false teachers and the believer.
e. Yet believers today disdain the Biblical concept of separation and seem to embrace anyone who says something nice about Jesus. False teachers look nice – they look like us – but they are really ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing.
f. Therefore the disciple is to be as wise as a serpent… don’t be foolish.
g. And what a great and necessary balance Jesus strikes between on the one hand — the wise cunning of a serpent (which if taken to the extreme could lead to craftiness, trickery, and manipulation) — and on the other hand, the harmless, innocence of a dove (which if taken to an extreme could easily become gullible and be duped).
h. This balance prevents the believer from becoming an extremist… in either direction… balanced discernment!
i. A good part of Christendom today demonstrates a great lack of discernment and is appalling.
• God commands us to be separate from the world and not to be conformed by it. It is our enemy! Friendship with the world is enmity with God.
• Yet most of Christendom today ignores this fact – and has adopted much of the world’s lifestyle… music… and has brought much of the world into the churches.
• AW Tozer wrote a little book back in the 50’s because he saw this incipient form of what we see today. The book was entitled: “The World: Our Playground or Battleground?”
• God didn’t place the church in the world to have fun. Our purpose here is not be “fulfilled and happy.”
• Our purpose here is to represent the TRUTH of Jesus Christ… in a world that is just as hostile to Christ today as the very crowd that 2000 years ago chanted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
8. There are COUNTLESS issues to distract us from God’s purpose for our lives.
a. The Calvinists vs. the Arminian controversy… continues unabated… confusing Christians and dividing churches as it has since the 1500’s!
b. What used to be a relatively simple war to understand in the 1920’s between the fundamentalists and the modernists got a bit more complicated in the late 60’s and 70’s… because it expanded and included a third group: neo evangelicalism.
c. Today, new evangelicalism has morphed into countless varieties…
d. Dispensationalism is under attack from extremes WITHIN the dispensational camp! – progressive dispensationalism and ultra dispensationalism… be discerning…
e. There is the ever-growing problem of the dumbing down of the church… cutting short the preaching of the Word and substituting entertainment… now even comedians…
f. In addition there is the ever growing influence of the charismatic movement – which just a few decades ago was considered the radical fringe… but now seem to exerting their spiritually unhealthy influence virtually everywhere…
g. Church music which was always such a blessing to the churches has now become the most explosive and divisive issue… dividing churches all over the country… who ever would have imagined that rock music would ever be allowed in the churches? Even the world condemned Elvis Presley when he first came on TV in the 50’s. The world immediately recognized the music as sensual and sexual – and he was banned… but the tide turned in the world… and now in the 21st century – that which is far worse is accepted in the churches… and offered to God as a sacrifice?!?
h. People without a good foundation in the Scriptures will be lacking in discernment… will not see the importance of such issues… they will see all of these things as “much ado about nothing… and consequently, will easily be tossed to and fro… by every wind of doctrine and every new fad that comes down the pike.
i. So while some churches choose to swell their ranks by offering an endless series of concerts, shows, videos, plays, skits, comedians, celebrities, and all the latest Christian fads… we choose the old fashioned route: preach the Word… the whole counsel of God… even the parts that might not seem so interesting or exciting…
9. This was exactly the problem the believers faced at Colossae.
a. They faced 3-4 different forms of corruption of the truth.
b. Today, we face hundreds of forms of corruption of the truth… with new ones cropping up every day… and expect this corruption to accelerate in the years ahead.
c. More than ever, our most urgent need is to be praying for spiritual discernment… wisdom and spiritual understanding to keep us safe from the wiles of the devil.
d. It’s worth setting Wednesday nights apart for that!
e. But what do we pray for? Uncle Fred’s sore back; Aunt Millie’s arthritis; Alice’s depression; a better paying job for Tom; new car for Phil…
f. That was definitely NOT the emphasis in any of the recorded prayers of the apostles.
g. Pray for Aunt Millie if she’s sick – but especially pray for God to open the eyes of our understanding and give us spiritual wisdom and discernment… that is our greatest need today… by far!
h. Being healthy and financially stable is good – but it isn’t our greatest need… not by a long shot!
Introduction:
A Walk Worthy of the Lord
A. The Terms:
1. Walk: περιπατέω – peripateo –
a. Literally = to walk (πατέω – pateo) around (περι – peri);
b. Used in a figurative sense by Paul – with a moral emphasis: to live; to conduct one’s self; to pass one’s life; one manner of life.
2. Worthy:
a. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: bringing into equilibrium.” and therefore “equivalent.”
b. It means “of equal weight, value, or worth”
c. Luke 10:7 – the workman is worthy of his hire…
d. Rom. 8:18 – the sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. They are not equivalent… unbalanced!
e. Rev. 4:11 – thou art worthy to receive glory, honor, and power…FOR thou hast created all things.
3. Worthy of the Lord.
a. A walk worthy of the Lord is a walk whose moral quality and weight is equal to the Lord Himself!
b. The Lord is put on one side of the scale, and our walk is put on the other side, and the scale balances out… equivalents.
c. Anything LESS than that is unworthy of the Lord.
d. When you put the Lord Himself on one side of the scale, how much moral weight and value do you suppose is there?
B. Its Impossible Nature
1. How could our walk ever be worthy of the Lord? Isn’t this an impossible command?
a. Yes it is! Nevertheless, it IS what God requires.
b. God’s commands to us are way beyond our ability to perform.
c. Consider what God requires of the sinner in order to be saved:
• Matt. 5:48 – Be ye perfect as your father which is in heaven is perfect!
• Matt. 5:20 – exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.
• Gal. 3:10 – cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. (Continuous perfect obedience to ALL the law or a curse!)
• Phil. 3:9 – No wonder Paul wanted to be found in the righteousness which is of God!
• God requires a righteousness that is equal to HIS righteousness. Nothing less is acceptable to God.
• For a person to be SAVED, God requires something of the sinner that he is totally unable to produce: Righteousness! Perfection!
• The standard is impossible. It will NEVER be produced by the sinner… and God knows it.
• But God in His perfect justice refuses to lower the bar.
• Instead, He waits for the sinner to realize that he could never produce a righteousness equal to God’s and cry out for mercy and grace.
• And God is DELIGHTED to GIVE His own righteousness to the sinner who does so in faith.
• Rom. 3:22 – By faith we receive God’s righteousness.
• Hence, the sinner is ROBED in righteousness—God’s righteousness.
• The sinner’s righteousness is now equal to God’s righteousness… because it IS His righteousness.
• God accepts nothing less. Anything less would be unworthy of the Lord.
• So if YOU want to be saved, quit trying to produce a righteousness that will never suffice; admit you are completely unable because of your sin; and come to God in faith – ask HIM to save you and GIVE you His righteousness… and He will!
• In Christ, we are as righteous as God Himself… not because of self, but rather because of God’s marvelous gift of grace.
• What the sinner could never produce, God provides… if the sinner will just receive it by faith!
d. Now that we are saved, God’s impossible requirements continue!
• Now God demands that our walk as a Christian be WORTHY of Him… the moral quality of our new life in Christ is to be of equal weight with God Himself.
• It kind of makes you want to quit doesn’t it? It’s hopeless. Impossible.
• If God is infinitely holy (and He is) then how could our walk ever be worthy of Him?
• Nothing we could ever do would qualify as being worthy of Him!
• If that’s the standard, we are doomed to failure.
2. Eph. 4:1 – our walk is also to be worthy of our vocation wherewith we were called.
a. Vocation and calling are the same Greek words… (noun and verb)
b. Here God requires that our walk as a believer be of equal weight and moral quality to our high calling in Christ.
c. What IS our calling? If we are going to walk worthy we must have knowledge… knowledge of God’s will. It is God’s will that our walk be worthy or of equal weight to our calling. What IS our calling?
• Eph. 1:4 – chosen; holy; blameless…
• Eph. 1:5 – adopted as a full grown son
• Eph. 1:6 – accepted in the Beloved…
• Eph. 1:7 – redeemed; forgiven;
• Eph. 2:6 – raised into heavenly places… alive unto God
• Eph. 2:8 – saved…
• Eph. 2:10 – ordained to walk in good works…
• Eph. 2:13 – nigh to God…
• Eph. 2:16 – reconciled to God…
• Eph. 2:19 – fellowcitizens of heaven; saints; the household of God;
• Eph. 2:21 – a holy Temple indwelt by the Lord
• Eph. 2:22 – the habitation of God through the Spirit
• And this is just two chapters in one book!
• God expects that our earthly walk be EQUAL to our position as a holy, blameless saint, seated in heaven, and indwelt by God Himself.
• Our position is as high and as holy as heaven!
• How could our walk down here ever be worthy? In equilibrium with?
• Are you discouraged yet? Are you ready to throw in the towel? Have you decided that this kind of life is impossible? Have you concluded that you’ll never make it?
• If so, then you are right where God wants you.
d. If God’s calling is as high as heaven (and it is) then how could we ever live up to it? How could we ever walk a walk that is worthy… of equal weight? Isn’t that an impossible standard?
• Yes it is impossible for us.
• And just like the unsaved sinner who has to come to the place where he realizes that the righteousness God requires is totally beyond him to produce, we too as Christians need to come to the place where we also realize that the high and holy walk God expects of us is totally beyond our ability to perform.
• The sinner must come to Christ and say, “Lord, I can’t produce a righteousness equal to yours… Lord I can’t save myself. I need YOU to save me!
• So too, we as Christians must come to the Lord and say, “Lord, I can’t manufacture the kind of life you require. I can’t even walk without you. I need YOUR power… YOUR presence… YOU to work in me…
• Col. 2:6 – AS we received Christ Jesus (by faith; not trusting in self but in Him), EVEN SO we are to walk in Him. (by the same kind of faith… that recognizes our total inability and rests completely on Him to work in us.)
• THIS is the worthy walk… a walk of faith… not trusting in our own understanding or our own strength… but relying completely upon the Lord…
e. Knowing that God’s standard for the Christian life is heaven-high… equal in moral weight to God Himself makes us want to quit trying! We’ll never do it, so why bother trying? It is impossible.
• In fact, that is exactly what God’s infinitely high standards for the Christian life are DESIGNED to do!
• Heb. 4:9-11 – we are to LABOR to enter into rest… God’s rest.
• Rest = work has ceased; work is the opposite of rest.
• In other words, rest means no more work!
• If you are still working and struggling, in hopes of pleasing God, then you are not resting.
• It is one or the other. (rest and work are mutually exclusive)
• There are 3 different aspects to God’s rest (salvation; glorification; and sanctification). The author is referring to the rest of sanctification here.
• We need to learn to STOP struggling and striving to produce holiness… and admit that it is beyond us… impossible…
• We are to CEASE from struggling in the flesh to produce fruit on our own, and are to REST in our position in Christ…our position was eternally settled at the cross… abide in the Christ the Vine… and allow God to work in us… both to will and to do of His good pleasure… and produce the kind of fruit that only He can produce.
3. How impossible can it get?!
a. We are to walk a walk that equal in weight to the infinite power of God… a walk that is worthy of God Himself and our heaven-high calling in Christ!
b. We are to walk (that speaks of the earthly condition of our lives) in such a way that it is equal to our calling (our eternal, heavenly position).
c. We are exhorted to lead a life whose standards are humanly impossible.
d. We are required to bear fruit that we are unable to produce…
e. And the harder we try, we quicker we fail… like a man struggling to get out of quicksand… who only sinks deeper with every movement…
f. We have been commanded to walk a walk that requires supernatural power…
• Remember what we said earlier about the unsaved sinner seeking salvation?
• God commanded of him a righteousness he could never produce…
• What the sinner could never produce, God provides… as a GIFT of grace…SALVATION… if the sinner will simply and humbly receive it by faith!
• What the saint could never produce, God provides: SANCTIFICATION! This too is ours by grace through faith.
• The impossible, supernatural, resurrection life in Christ that God demands of us, which we could never lead on our own, God provides all we need as a GIFT through grace… if we keep on coming to the throne of grace for help in time of need…
An Impossible Walk Made Possible
A. Prayer
1. A worthy walk is an impossible walk on our own. Hence, the need for prayer. A worthy walk begins with prayer.
2. Paul’s desire for the Colossians that they would be filled with knowledge SO THAT they might walk worthy of the Lord.
a. Therefore he prayed! (Vs. 9)
b. How else could this supernatural walk be manifested?
c. Those who want to walk worthy of the Lord will be faithful in praying for this every day… and often throughout the day!
d. Pray when you sense you especially need God’s help—when you are about to get mad at a co-worker: “Lord, give me strength. Help me to control my tongue. Lord, fill me with the Spirit… self control!” You don’t have to say it out loud…
3. The worthy walk always begins in the prayer closet… seeking God… God’s guidance… God’s power… God’s strength… God’s wisdom… God to work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
a. If the requirements were humanly attainable, then all that would be required would be a pat on the back… or some self-confidence…
b. But since the worthy walk is supernatural and impossible in the flesh, we need to start with God in the prayer closet!
4. Eph. 3:16 – Paul prayed similarly for the Ephesian believers, that God would GRANT to them to be strengthened with might in the inner man BY HIS SPIRIT…
a. Spiritual strength is granted… given…(committed; handed over; supply; furnish; to give as a gift of grace…)
b. It is not for the proud, self-confident believer who thinks he can handle the trials and troubles of life on his own. He’s left to his own self… to discover how weak he really is.
c. It is rather granted to the weak believer – the one who acknowledges his weakness, and comes as a child to ask his heavenly Father… for HIS strength.
d. God thus “grants” DIVINE power and strength to his weak, humble children who walk by faith and SEEK His strength…
5. And remember that the God who set these heaven high standards is the same God who said, “Ask and ye shall receive!”
a. I John 5:14 – we can have confidence that when we ask according to His will, He hears us and answers our prayers.
b. Is praying for a worthy walk according to His will?
c. Remember the context on Col. 1:9-10 – prayer to be FILLED with the knowledge of His will… SO THAT we might walk worthy!
d. If we are sincere and honest with God – and willing to yield our all to Him, He will answer this prayer… and enable us to walk worthy of Him!
B. The Knowledge of His Will
1. The first part of Paul’s prayer was that the believers would be FILLED with the knowledge of God’s will…
2. The goal of that prayer was not actually just the knowledge, but the worthy walk that emanates from the knowledge of His will!
a. Lightfoot wrote, “The end of all knowledge is conduct.”
b. Spiritual knowledge is not an end in itself… just to make us sound smart. It is to be practical… incorporated into our spiritual lives.
c. In fact, knowledge without conduct only makes us more accountable to God and more worthy of chastening… for it is far worse to know and not do than it is to not do because of ignorance.
d. When God gives light and knowledge of His Word and will He expects us to act upon it… to walk accordingly.
e. Spiritual knowledge should affect the way we walk.
f. We need to pray for this… AND study the Word… learn of His will.
3. And as we said last week, this is not merely a cold, academic, intellectual pursuit. It is exceptionally practical!
4. We are to pursue the knowledge of His will SO THAT we might walk worthy of Him!
5. If we don’t KNOW His will, we will never be able to walk in it.
6. Ps. 86:11 -?Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
a. If you are going to ever arrive at where you want to go, you need accurate directions.
b. If you don’t know the right way, you can’t walk in it!
c. We need to LEARN God and His ways and His will… only THEN will we be able to walk therein.
d. And note that David includes the concept of a “united heart”—similar to the concept of a single eye… united and singularly focused… not off in all directions at once.
e. They say, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” But Paul DID know where he wanted the Colossians to be headed… and he knew the way. Hence, he PRAYED that they would be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of His will and ways.
f. If you are lost in the woods, your heart is not going to be united. It will be scattered. You will be full of anxiety… and waste time and energy wandering.
g. But if you have the KNOWLEDGE of where you’re headed… and you know how to get there, the walk is so much easier… you don’t have to worry, panic, run and fall… you can relax… rest and walk… even enjoy the walk!
h. Knowing where you’re going and HOW to get there will set your mind and heart at ease.
i. So let’s pray for one another – that WE would be filled with the knowledge of His will… SO THAT we might walk worthy… a walk of faith… resting in the Lord… single-mindedly focused on Christ… our heart united…
C. Power (Col. 1:11)
1. What could be more frustrating than being commanded to do something that is totally beyond our ability to perform!
a. If God is infinitely holy (and He is) then how could our walk ever be worthy of Him?
b. If God’s calling is as high as heaven (and it is) then how could we ever live up to it?
c. Nothing we could ever do would qualify as being worthy of Him… of equal weight and worth as our heavenly position… of equal weight and worth as our heavenly Father!
2. The resurrection life may be impossible on our own, but God has not left us on our own.
a. God has not left us to struggle in vain on our own and try to produce a life worthy of Him.
b. Rather, God LIVES IN US… and EMPOWERS us to live that otherwise impossible resurrection life!
c. A worthy walk would be impossible in our own puny weakness… but rather, we are strengthened with ALL might… according to HIS glorious power!
• This does not mean that we become almighty. Only God is almighty.
• But it does mean that we have the power of the ALL mighty in us… Christ is in us… we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit…
d. Hence, those commands which seemed so impossible before (love your enemies; love one another as I have loved you; walk worthy of your calling) are no longer impossible… not when we have access to omnipotence!
e. Those old commands are no longer impossible… and that means that our old excuses are no longer plausible! (I can’t! It’s too hard! I’m not strong enough for that!”)
f. We CAN walk worthy when we are strengthened with HIS might.
• If we are trusting in self, then weakness prevails.
• But nothing is too hard for the Lord. Trust in Him. Lean on Him. Walk in the Spirit and you won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh!
• When we by faith keep that old self-life on the cross, our new man – empowered by the Lord Himself is manifested.
• Any command God gives – the new man empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit is ABLE to obey. He is ABLE to walk in newness of life…
3. And this kind of a walk really is WORTHY of the Lord.
a. Eph. 6:10 – (His strength) – A walk worthy of the Lord is a walk whose moral quality and weight is equal to the Lord Himself!
b. The Lord is put on one side of the scale, and our walk is put on the other side, and the scale balances out… equivalents.
c. How can OUR walk be equal in weight and worth to the Lord Himself? When it is the Lord Himself who is working in us… but to will and to DO… He provides the desire to do His will… and the POWER to do it…
d. When we walk by faith, yield ourselves to God, filled with the knowledge of His will and filled with the Spirit… God’s power in us enables us to DO those impossible commands under grace.
e. So on one side of the scale is the infinite value, weight, and worth of the Lord Himself… and on the other side of the scale is the infinite value, weight, and worth of the very same Lord in us! Equal! It is truly worthy… equilibrium has been achieved.
f. A supernatural worthy walk (equal in moral character to the Lord Himself) is not hyperbole or exaggeration. It is a spiritual reality in the lives of yielded believers…
g. It is Christ manifesting Himself in our weak, mortal bodies… to His honor and glory.
h. The worthy walk is not only our work for Him, but it is even more so, His work in us… and hence, HE gets all the glory.
i. HE is the One who opens our eyes and illuminates our way so that we can be filled with the knowledge of His will… and know which way to walk…
j. HE is the One who fills us with His power and enables us to walk in newness of life… giving victory over sin… and manifesting Christ’s life through us…
k. HE is the One who guides our every step… keeps our feet from slipping…
l. As believers we have the awesome privilege of the indwelling presence and power of Christ and the light of the knowledge of God in earthen vessels SO THAT the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us! (II Cor. 4:7)
m. The resurrection life or the worthy walk requires supernatural power without which, is impossible. But that indwelling supernatural power is just what God supplies for each one of us (II Cor. 4:9-10).
n. Christ’s life IN US is equal in every way to the moral character of the Father…
o. When Christ’s life is lived through us, our walk is worthy… and powerful…
p. When the flesh is in control however, there is nothing at all equal – not even close. The scale is hopelessly tipped!
4. And yet, when we are filled with the knowledge of His will and filled with the Spirit… and strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, we will not be aware of the power, but of our weakness.
a. Divine power isn’t something that we will FEEL.
• Don’t wait until you FEEL strong enough to take that step of faith in obedience to an impossible command. Those feelings may never come!
• And if they DO come, and we begin to FEEL strong, then we are even WORSE off. When we think we are strong, we are in reality, spiritually weak! (II Cor. 12:9)
b. We walk by faith, not feelings. Feelings will often lead us astray. We walk by FAITH which rests upon the immutable and infallible FACTS of Scripture… not by passing feelings which come and go.
c. Even when we are strong, we are going to FEEL quite weak.
d. Paul made it clear that when the believer is strong… strengthened with all might according to God’s glorious power… he is going to be conscious of his own personal weakness. (When I am weak, then am I strong…)
e. I Cor. 2:3-4 – Paul came preaching in the power of God.
• His words were filled with supernatural power…
• Yet he FELT weak… afraid… trembling…
• But his ministry was one of great power regardless of how weak he FELT.
• He did not allow his feelings of weakness and inadequacy to prevent him from doing what God wanted him to do.
• He served the Lord – cognizant of his own weakness… and unaware of the power of God working in and through him.
• The man who is strengthened according to His glorious power FEELS weak, but he takes a step of faith… (weak, fearful, and trembling) and God holds him up… empowers… and blesses that feeble effort…
• The man who takes a step of faith in obedience to the known will of God may FEEL weak, but in reality, by faith, he is undergirded by omnipotence!
• I’m sure Peter felt a little timid stepping out of the boat in the midst of a storm to attempt to walk on water…
• Ex: we have had folks sing in the choir who have felt terrified standing before the congregation to sing… they FELT weak and inadequate… yet because the Lord led them in that ministry, they marched up in weakness, fearful and trembling, but they sang to the glory of God – and God used the message of that song in a supernatural way to touch the hearts of His people…
• Ex: most of us are afraid to speak up for Christ and witness in the office, in the neighborhood because we are painfully aware of our inadequacies. (I don’t know enough; what if I can’t find the verse?) The power of God is not seen in our eloquence or brilliance… but in the message itself!
• God prefers to use weak, frail vessels for His glory!
• If He can use a little boy’s lunch to feed 5000, He can use you and me!
• God isn’t looking for beautiful gold vases… He’s looking for old clay pots… in which Christ dwells by faith—so that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us!
• Heb. 11:32-34 – The heroes of the faith were weak men in themselves who trusted in an omnipotent God for deliverance!
5. The believer who is strengthened with all might according to HIS glorious power truly is walking WORTHY (of equal weight) of the Lord.
a. The power of the Almighty God is on one side of the scale – and as we walk by faith, we are strengthened with ALL might on our side of the scale too… omnipotence made available to us as we walk in the Spirit… walk by faith… The power on both sides is truly equal.
b. Hence, when God says, “Be ye holy for I am holy” – He expects us to walk in the kind of holiness that is equal to or in harmony with His holiness.
c. When God says, “Walk worthy of your heaven-high calling… walk worthy of the Lord Himself – He means it!”
d. For with Almighty God on our side, nothing shall be impossible!
• That besetting sin that you have been struggling with is not impossible to defeat… as we walk by faith we are more than conquerors in Christ!
• At the cross Christ has already defeated our enemies – the world, the flesh, and the devil. By faith we can experience that victory in our daily lives. That’s the worthy walk!
• That bitter experience that has caused you such internal torture does not have to dominate your mind and heart forever… there is great freedom in Christ… when we are strengthened with ALL might according to HIS glorious power!
• Our minds can be renewed… our affections can be on things above… it is possible for the peace of God to rule in our lives.
• If we have been struggling and failing over and over, perhaps it’s time to STOP struggling and START trusting.
• Stop doting over your own personal weaknesses and failures… and starting resting in His omnipotence… available to us by faith.
• Walk worthy of the Lord.
• We can never use that old excuse again: it’s impossible! I can never have victory over this or that. It’s too hard!
• Nothing is too hard for the Lord. And nothing is too hard for the believer who by faith is strengthened with ALL might according to HIS glorious power!
• All things are possible with God!
• I can do ALL things – through CHRIST who strengtheneth me!
• We can even have a walk that is truly WORTHY of the Lord.
A. A Walk That Manifests Faith in Him (Col. 2:6)
B. A Walk That Manifests His Wisdom (Col. 4:5)
C. A Walk That Manifests His Life (Rom. 6:4)
D. A Walk That Manifests His Love (Eph. 5:2)
E. A Walk That Manifests His Message (Phil. 1:27)
F. A Walk That is Separated Unto Him (Ps. 1:1-3)
Issues for NEXT week:
Vs.11 – strengthened with all strength (repetition of same term in Greek. It indicates that we are strengthened within with a strength that comes from without.
Introduction:
1. The prayer for being filled with the knowledge of His will is so that we might walk worthy.
2. The worthy walk is UNTO all pleasing… so that our lives might be pleasing to the Lord.
3. Not every Christian walks in such a way as to be pleasing to the Lord. Paul prays that the walk of the Colossians WOULD be. That should be our prayer request too.
UNTO: The Goal of a Worthy Walk
1. This speaks of the GOAL of a worthy walk: pleasing God.
2. UNTO = eis: into; unto; towards; extend into an area; speaks of direction
a. The worthy walk is to be aimed at or directed towards pleasing God… a worthy walk is headed in that direction.
b. Pleasing the Lord ought to be the motivating factor in every decision we make!
c. It ought to be the goal of every decision we make.
d. Every step we take in a worthy walk is a step taken for the purpose of pleasing God… with that goal in mind.
e. Think of your life as a long pathway – with “pleasing God” at the end of that road. That is the direction our life is to take.
• There will be many forks in that road (pleasing self; pleasing the world; pleasing men; etc.)…
• But at every fork, we should choose to walk in the direction of pleasing God.
• That pathway may be difficult… wrought with many troubles and trials… but it is always the right way for the believer to walk.
• And when we come to a fork in the road, and it might be a bit confusing as to which road to take – “pleasing God” ought to be a leading factor in making that determination.
3. Pleasing God ought to be our GOAL in life.
a. II Cor. 5:9 – we labor that we might be acceptable to Him. (that’s what we are working towards…)
• Labor – love of honor (ambition; a holy ambition); that which a man strives for…
• Paul had a holy ambition – his driving ambition, was to please the Lord in all things.
• Whether he lived in his earthly mortal body (absent) or whether he was in glory (present with the Lord)… dead or alive… his goal is always to please the Lord.
• Everything he does in his life was to be filtered through that lens… is it pleasing to the Lord?
• What was true of the apostles ought to be true of our lives as well.
• What IS your driving ambition in life? (to make it in the business world? To make a name for yourself? To die with the most toys? To leave a big nest egg for your family? To have a happy family life?
• Our driving ambition in life ought to be to please the Lord.
• If that is NOT our driving ambition… if pleasing the Lord is NOT the goal of your decisions… then perhaps it is time to sit back and re-evaluate your Christian walk. PONDER the path of your feet.
b. II Tim. 2:3-4 – the single-mindedness of a soldier, dedicated to his duty pleases God.
• In this passage, the apostle uses the soldier’s life as an illustration of a Christian life.
• Vs. 3- He is called to endure hardships… soldier’s don’t expect their lives to be easy.
» They have willfully accepted the hardships as part of their duty.
» If your goal is to do your own thing and please self, you don’t join the army!
» Those who join the army put personal pleasure aside…
• Vs. 4 – A soldier is also expected to set aside his own personal affairs… his business; his family; his hobbies;
» Like a soldier, a Christian is not to become “entangled” with the affairs of this life.
» Soldiers leave the world behind when they join the army. Everything else is put on the back burner while serving in the military.
» This is what the disciples had to do when they followed the Lord.
» And if we are going to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we cannot become entangled in the affairs of this life…
» Entangled people aren’t free for service. Soldiers need to be freed up to respond to the orders of the commander in Chief.
• The soldier subjects himself to all of that so that he is free to please his superiors – those who put him in his position as a soldier.
» Like a soldier, the Christian is motivated by a desire to please his superiors…
» The good soldier puts pleasing self, pleasing family, pleasing his business partners, etc… behind.
» He has but one concern now: to please the one who entrusted him into military service.
• The Christian too is to put everything else on the back burner, and dedicate his life to pleasing God… the One who has called us to war a good warfare.
» Once again, Paul makes it clear that pleasing God ought to be our priority in life.
» We are told this because it is human nature – even as Christians – to let things get in the way of… to cause us to lose sight of… to hinder us from… that which ought to be our real goal in life: pleasing God.
• Perhaps some of us here today have been drawn away from this holy ambition… perhaps pleasing self or pleasing the world has clouded what should be a clear and simple goal: to please God.
4. Col. 1:10 – In our passage in Colossians 1, the preposition eis (unto) declares the same truth.
a. A worthy walk is UNTO… all pleasing… pleasing God in all things.
b. If pleasing God isn’t the goal of our walk, then our walk is NOT worthy… it is not equal in moral weight and value to God Himself.
c. A walk that is worthy of the Lord has pleasing God as its driving ambition… as its ultimate goal. It ought to be the direction of our lives.
d. In that sense, the life of EVERY single believer worldwide is to be the same.
• The details of our lives will vary widely…
• Our backgrounds, interests, cultural practices, forms of entertainment, style of clothing, hobbies, careers, nationalities, opportunities, languages, etc… will vary widely.
• But our goals ought to be the same: to please God.
• It will be expressed in different ways in different places – but the goal is the same.
5. Revelation 4:11 – bringing pleasure to God is the reason we were created!
a. Every aspect of creation – including human beings – was created for His pleasure.
b. Eph. 1:5 – “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”
c. Before the foundation of the world, God determined that He would have sons who would be created for His good pleasure.
d. Phil. 2:13 – says that He works in us to assure that that will come to pass… He gives us a will and an ability to perform His good pleasure.
e. Rev. 4:11 tells us that He created us for that purpose… for His own good pleasure.
f. Do you want to experience of a life of fulfillment?
• Then BE what God designed you to BE…
• LIVE as God intended for you to live…
• DO that which God ordained for you to DO…
• Fulfillment comes only when we willingly submit to the role He designed for us…
• He created us for His good pleasure.
• He chose us and saved us for His good pleasure.
• He lives in us that we might have the indwelling power to do that which is pleasing in His sight.
• When we come to the cross – and leave our old, self centered man there – and are willing to walk in NEWNESS of life… we will experience an abundant life… a life of true fulfillment… living for the glory and pleasure God! That is truly satisfying.
• OR, we could live for self… live for today… live for the here and now – how shallow, short sighted, empty, hallow…
g. The GOAL of a worthy walk is to bring pleasure to the Lord. And as we submit to that purpose, we too will experience pleasure… satisfaction… UNTO all pleasing…
All: The Scope the Worthy Walk
1. ALL – Refers to pleasing God in all things… all areas of life… from the big down to the downright trivial… from bringing the gospel message to the lost… down to brushing our teeth!
2. “Unto all” means that every step of our “walk” ought to have pleasing God as its goal.
a. Not just our actions and deeds, but even in our thoughts and the intents of the heart!
b. Ps. 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable (pleasure, delight, favour, goodwill) in thy sight.
c. Ps. 139:21 – ?Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:? ?And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ?
d. In light of what Jer. 17:9 states about our hearts, it is fair to say that there ARE things in our hearts that do not please God.
• We may not even be aware of most of them.
• But, if we are honest, and genuinely DESIRE to please the Lord, then we should seek to find them out…
• We should want God to shine His light upon them… so that we can deal with them… and forsake them… or add things we are not doing…
e. Here the psalmist PRAYED that he would be pleasing to the Lord – not just in what he DID… but in what he THOUGHT… in his ATTITUDES… in the meditation of his heart…
f. Sometimes, because our hearts are deceitful, it is hard to know for sure if our thoughts are right… or our attitudes are right before God.
3. Eph. 5:10 – PROVING what is acceptable (pleasing) unto the Lord
a. Context: we are children of light living in a dark world. Be careful where you step and what you do!
b. Put everything to the test… and there is one litmus test by which all of our actions are to be examined: “Does it please God?”
c. The term for “acceptable” is the Greek word for “well pleasing.”
4. How can we tell if it pleases the Lord? How can we put it to the test?
a. Some folks test their actions by their feelings.
• If it feels good, do it!
• Story of couple living together who were sure that they were pleasing to the Lord… because of their “love.”
b. Others test their actions by what others are doing.
• If this many people are doing it, it must be right!
• Actually, when most people are involved in something, it is usually a good indication that it is NOT pleasing to the Lord!
• Broad is the road that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat!
c. Others test their actions by what the church practices.
• This too sounds spiritual and religious, but when you stand before the Lord you won’t be able to use that for an excuse: this is the way our church did it!
• Church leaders can be wrong. The real test is, “does it please the Lord?”
• God’s Word is the authority. It alone is able to define with perfect accuracy what does and what does not please the Lord.
d. Still others test their actions by a utilitarian or pragmatic basis… if it works, it must be right.
• This is the principle by which new evangelicalism operates… but that doesn’t make it right.
• A little white lie might work at saving our skin, but it isn’t right.
• Changing the worship service into an entertainment format might WORK at bringing in a lot of people… but it doesn’t make it right.
e. Some test their actions according to what they feel is best for their family. (that does not always please God… God first!)
• Was it good for their families for these men and women to be vocal about their faith in Christ? (Acts 9:2)
• Was it good for the apostle’s families to leave their fishing ships and families behind to follow Christ?
• Is it good for missionaries to leave behind the wealth of this country, and all the educational advantages, to bring up their children in a village where the natives walk around naked, and sin and debauchery is all around them?
• Ask Daniel’s 3 friends. Which would be better for their families? For dad to compromise a bit and bow his knee for 10 seconds to an idol… and live to provide for his family, or should they have put God first… refuse to bow to the idol… and be killed – only to leave their wife and children destitute in a foreign land to fend for themselves?
• Putting what we think is best for our families above the will of the Lord does not always turn out well… for our families. Ask Lot.
• Sometimes when we live so as to please God, our families may even turn against us! Jesus warned us of that. (A man’s foes shall be of his own household! – Cf. Mt. 10:34-37)
f. Others test their actions by whatever is considered acceptable cultural practices.
• By that standard, almost anything would be acceptable… somewhere in the world.
• As our culture continues to slouch toward Gomorrah, more vile practices will be acceptable to society… but not necessarily to the Lord.
• Society has become comfortable with divorce; God isn’t.
• Society has virtually accepted the homosexual lifestyle. God hasn’t.
• Society has approved of abortion. The Author of Life hasn’t.
• Cultural or societal norms are not to be the test of our actions as Christians.
• Rom. 1:24-27 – immoral lifestyles… and yet the society not only tolerated it, but had pleasure in it (vs.32).
• Just because a culture is pleased, that does not mean that God is. That which society approves is often hated by God.
5. There is really only ONE way to PROVE whether something is pleasing to the Lord or not… READ what He said – in His WORD.
a. Let God speak for Himself! He is plenty able to communicate His will to us.
b. He has spoken in His Word.
c. Knowing His will… (vs. 9) and the knowledge of God Himself… knowing the PERSON… will enable us to determine if something is pleasing to the Lord or not.
d. We are to be pleasing unto ALL – in all areas of life. And this book has principles that cover ALL areas of life… it is ALL WE NEED for life and godliness… a life that pleases God.
e. But be careful reading…and be careful praying, because God might just answer that prayer for discernment and shine light on the subject… and KNOWING makes us accountable to respond.
6. We are to prove EVERYTHING we do to see if it is acceptable… well pleasing to the Lord.
a. Eph. 5:10 – put all to the test.
b. Eph. 5:11 – if God shines light on the subject, and it fails the test… then we are responsible to reject and reprove it.
c. I Thess. 5:21-22 – test everything… and embrace only those things that are pleasing to God.
7. Our goal ought to be to please God in ALL… all areas of life.
a. Pleasing God is relatively easy. He isn’t hard to please.
• He tells us exactly how to please Him. He has revealed what pleases Him and what doesn’t in His Word.
• Here’s a little check list:
» If we are obeying God’s Word to the best of our understanding… (things are right vertically)
» If we are not violating our conscience – if it’s clear and if we are not grieving the Holy Spirit… (if things are right internally)
» If we have done what we can to live peaceable with all men… (if things are right horizontally)
» Then we are pleasing to God.
» If something doesn’t pass the test, then confess it and forsake it… and return to the place of communion.
b. Pleasing man is impossible! Frustrating!
• No matter what you do, someone is bound to be unhappy about it!
• There are 6 billion people on earth… and they all have different ideas. Trying to please everybody is a lesson in futility.
• Running a church by trying to please the people is also a lesson in futility. That’s not our goal here. Our goal is to please the Lord. Most in Christendom today will not be happy with that… so be it.
• This view simplifies my life immensely. I have one Person to please… and that is the ONLY measure of success at Salem Bible Church.
• That will simplify your life too!
• Nothing could be more frustrating than trying to live life and keep everybody happy. It isn’t going to happen!
8. God has delivered us from that sort of futility. There is only ONE God… and if we please Him, we are doing well!
a. We are to be single minded… focused upon one Lord… trying to please ONE Person (Jesus Christ)…
b. And every decision in life we make ought to be based upon whether He is pleased or not.
• All issues of life… all areas of life… all decisions in life… every choice we ever face ought to be screened through the filter of this question: is it pleasing to God or not?
• This is akin to knowing His will…
• It is based upon our love for Him…
• It is completely selfless – not my will but thine be done…
• And the better we KNOW HIM… the better equipped we will be to KNOW what pleases Him and what displeases Him.
• Thus, spiritual discernment is related to knowing Christ
» Should I go here? Do this? Read that? Watch this? Listen to this kind of music? Wear this kind of clothing? Should I work at this kind of place? Should I join this organization?
9. The Christian life all boils down to a PERSON… knowing Christ… knowing His Word… knowing His will… knowing what pleases Him… what displeases Him… loving Him and wanting to please Him… choosing those things that are pleasing to Him…
a. Christ knew His Father intimately and always did those things that were pleasing in His sight.
b. We should strive to know Christ that way… and strive to please Him in all we do.
c. Christianity is a relationship to a Person.
d. Pleasing Christ ought to affect ALL areas of our lives…
PLEASING: The Determining Factor of a Worthy Walk
1. Pleasing: The Term
a. Used only here… in Col. 1:10
b. Implies pleasing another; anticipating his will.
c. One Greek scholar (Moule) translated the expression “unto all pleasing” as “unto the anticipation of His will.”
d. T. Bentley defined pleased as “complete satisfaction.”
e. The expression refers to pleasing God… anticipating His will because we KNOW HIM… and then doing it in order to bring Him pleasure. That’s our goal.
2. Things that please God…
a. A life of praise…
• Heb.13:16 – God is well pleased with sacrifices of our lips… praise (Ps. 69:30-31)
• How hard is that? Praise God for the little things in life, and the Creator is pleased.
• Give God the glory in everyday situations of life – and He is pleased.
• To please God, it is not necessary to become a missionary; to give a million dollars to the church; to lead 1,000 people to Christ; or to preach a sermon before 50,000 people.
• To please God, all we have to do is praise Him! Thank Him!
• An attitude of praise – whistle “Thank you Lord For Saving My Soul” as you work. That pleases the Lord.
b. A life of faith…
• Heb.11:6 – without faith it is impossible to please Him.
• Heb.11:5 – Enoch had this testimony: he pleased God.
• We often think of missionaries or others who have no steady source of income as “living by faith.” (“I lost my job; I guess I’ve got to live by faith now.”)
• That kind of thinking illustrates one who does not know what it means to walk by faith.
• Do you really think that living by faith is only for missionaries? Or for the unemployed? Isn’t it rather what is expected of EVERY believer – rich or poor, steady income or unpredictable income.
• Every believer is to live by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him!
• Walking by faith means much more than trusting God for our earthly goods (food; clothing; money; etc.).
• It means trusting God for our next breath… for victory over sin… for strength moment by moment… for wisdom… trusting Him for grace… for guidance… and everything!
c. A life of sacrifice…
• Micah 6:7-8 – God is not pleased with the sacrifices, but with a humble walk…
• Eph. 5:2 – a sacrificial life is a “sweet smelling savor” to God.
• Phil. 4:18 – giving to the Lord’s work…
• Rom. 14:18 – serving God by giving up our rights is pleasing to God.
• Rom. 12:1-2 – presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God
d. A life of functioning in the Body…
• I Cor. 12:18 – God is pleased with the order and function of various ministries in the local church.
• It made God happy… pleased to give each believer a gift in order that he might function in the local church… using that gift to manifest the indwelling life of Christ… by ministering to the members of the Body.
• Do you want to please God?
» Function as designed!
» Be faithful to the assembling together of the saints.
» Use your gifts for His glory… don’t hide them under a bushel.
• Whatever your ministry is in the local church – if it is performed faithfully and to the best of our ability and for His glory—then God is pleased!
e. A life of functioning in the family…
• Col. 3:20 – children obeying their parents pleases the Lord.
• I Tim. 5:4 – showing piety at home (here = supporting parents)
• God is pleased in the home – when each one functions in the home as designed… in their proper role and place…
• When God’s order is maintained in the home, God is pleased.
• When Christ’s life is manifested in the home, God is pleased.
• When spiritual fruit is produced in the home, God is pleased.
f. A life of service…
• Heb. 12:28 – serving God in fear and reverence.
• I Pet. 2:5 – offering up spiritual sacrifice.
• I Tim. 2:1-4 – praying and witnessing.
3. I Thess. 4:1 – “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
a. The Thessalonians are exhorted to walk in such a way so as to please God.
b. Paul had TAUGHT them HOW… and they received the teaching.
c. Now Paul is exhorting them to continue… and to grow and expand in their life dedicated to pleasing the Lord.
d. Once a person begins walking so as to please God, he is to continue to GROW… to abound more and more…
e. Perhaps your life is pleasing to the Lord right now. That’s good… but don’t ever be satisfied. Strive to please Him more!
f. Being pleased comes in all sizes and shapes… there are widely varying degrees of pleasure.
4. What “pleasing God” is NOT:
a. Living so as to please God is not like life in the world.
• The world cannot understand a life dedicated to pleasing the Lord.
• The world operates on a totally different principle: live for yourself… you only live once – grab for all the gusto you can… take care on #1… live for today and don’t worry about tomorrow… this life is all there is, so eat, drink, and be merry.
• The worldly man has himself at the center of his universe.
• The Christian has Christ at the center of his universe.
• The world doesn’t understand how a person can be happy and joyous serving God… to them happiness is being served… not serving… pleasing self, not others.
• The world knows all about standing up for our rights and fighting for our rights. It knows nothing about surrendering the exercise of our rights for the good of others and the glory of God!
• But our citizenship is not of this world. We are citizens of heaven… and life is very different there.
• If pleasing God is your goal in life, you WILL be different from the world. You won’t have to try to be different… you just are. You are headed in a different direction; you think differently; you have different goals; you walk a different pathway…
• A Christ-centered life – a life dedicated to pleasing Him – will make us different from the world.
b. Living so as to please God is not like living under the law.
• Under the law, the Judge was satisfied if the requirements were met.
• The law-giver is happy if the bare minimum requirements are met. (Ex: paying taxes…pay what you owe and the IRS is happy.)
• The ways of grace are unlimited… worthy of the Lord unto ALL pleasing…
• However, we can always increase and please Him MORE.
• In a marriage, a husband and wife may be pleased to live together. However, the pleasure in that relationship can and should be increasing and growing… more and more.
• Rom. 7:4 – our new life is likened here to a marriage relationship. Christ is the groom and we are the bride.
» Marriage is about pleasing our partner.
» Of course, we can be selfish in a marriage relationship, but by doing so, we pollute the atmosphere… sour the relationship… and life is not very pleasing for anyone.
» But when we are selflessly serving our mate… showing love by our life… going the extra mile to please our partner… that relationship is going to be sweet… the way it ought to be.
» I Cor. 7:33c, 34c – Paul speaks of the married man who is responsible to please his wife; and the married woman who is responsible to please her husband.
» The more dedicated a husband is to pleasing his wife, the better the relationship will be. The more dedicated a wife is to pleasing her husband – the better the relationship will be.
» And there is always room for improvement in every relationship.
• The same is true in our walk with God. We may be dedicated to living for the Lord and pleasing Him… but we can always please Him MORE.
» If pleasing God is our goal in life… we will never fall prey to legalism.
» Our relationship is always with a Person – Christ – not a code or a law.
» Our goal in life is to know Christ and please Him… out of love… because we want to… not because we have to.
• If this is truly our goal in life, it simplifies the Christian life.
» We walk in such a way as to please God… our heavenly Father.
» A little child can understand that… perhaps better than we can.
» A child knows the JOY of pleasing his dad. We could learn something from the children in this area.
c. Living so as to please God is not negative (like the law – don’t do this; don’t do that)… A life that is geared towards pleasing God is primarily positive.
• We are to make choices based on whether they PLEASE God… not on the basis of whether it will make Him angry or not.
• Our goal in life is to not just to avoid making God angry at us.
• Rather, we are to lead our lives in such a way that the things we do are positively pleasing to the Lord!
• Just because we are not committing sin, that does not mean we are pleasing to the Lord. That simply means we are not DISpleasing to Him.
» Pleasing God is not merely the absence of corrupt fruit… rather, it is the bearing of good fruit…
» To put it another way, pleasing God is more than just leaving the wilderness… it is entering the Promised Land!
» Or to put it another way, pleasing God is not merely putting away the old life… it is the addition of the new life…
‣ It is based not on knowing that our old man is dead; but it is based upon knowing that our new man is ALIVE unto God.
‣ Do you think a wife would be pleased if her husband came home from work and said, “Honey, I didn’t steal any money out of your wallet; I didn’t curse your name today; and I didn’t gossip about you; and I didn’t commit adultery against you today.”
‣ Just because a factory worker didn’t break any equipment on the job, doesn’t mean that he was pleasing to his boss. What did he DO?
‣ The absence of sin and failure is not what is pleasing. It is the presence of something positive…
• Col. 3:7-13 – putting off and putting on
» Vs. 7-9 – God expects the believer to put off sinful behavior… because his old man was crucified.
» Evil, corrupt fruit is to be put off.
» But the Christian who has put off the old man has done nothing positive to please the Lord.
» Vs. 10-13 – we have also put ON the new man…
» Therefore, we are expected to behave in a positive way… Christ-like behavior…
» God expects that we actively and positively demonstrate by our actions: mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, love… that is good fruit.
» Putting off the deeds of the old man is not what is pleasing to God.
» What is pleasing to God is putting ON the deeds of the new man… a Christ-like spirit pleases the Lord…
• Col. 1:10 – It’s not enough to stop sinning. God wants us to be FRUITFUL in every good work.
» That is what pleases Him. Good fruit… Spirit produced fruit…
» Fruit that is a manifestation of the indwelling life of Christ…
» God is the Husbandman. It is not the absence of blight or disease on the tree that causes the Husbandman to be pleased. It is the presence of fruit.
» OK – so you stopped swearing and you stopped drinking… that’s all good and fine in its place.
» But that does not mean your life is pleasing to God. It just means He is not displeased.
» What are we doing that pleases God? Is there positive FRUIT in our lives?
» Fruit does not refer to how many souls we have led to Christ. It refers to how much Christ-like character is being manifested in our lives through the Holy Spirit.
• That is to be our GOAL in life… a worthy walk… a fruitful life… aimed at pleasing God.
• John 8:29 – Jesus said, “I do always those things which please my Father.
• Matt.3:17 – The Father said, “This is my well beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
d. There is something quite SATISFYING about pleasing someone outside of self.
• A life that is lived to please self is quite hollow… shallow… empty… (read Ecclesiastes- Vanity of vanities!)
• A life that is lived to please the Lord is rewarding… satisfying… and in a round about way – pleasing to self… to the new creature we are in Christ… though our old self is reckoned to be dead.
• It is better to give than to receive… especially when we give to the Lord… give of ourselves… of our time… talent… resources…
• Our lives are truly fulfilled when we arrive at the point where doing the will of God is sweeter than doing our own will…
• It sometimes takes a long time for some of us to learn that true joy and happiness in life comes through doing God’s will…
• Col. 1:9 – pray to be filled with the knowledge of His will. And when we know His will – DO it… live it. This is what it means to please God… being eager to know His will and eager do it… anticipating His will – so as to please Him! That’s love… That is a satisfying life!
• Not my will but thine be done… when we arrive at that attitude – what peace floods our heart… what liberty… what freedom from the bondage of self will.
• How liberating to be able to look beyond me, myself, and I… to be able to look beyond me and my household… and enabled to see others… other households… other believers… other people…
e. Heb. 13:21 – God … working IN YOU that which is well pleasing in His sight THROUGH Jesus Christ…
• When we come to the place where we are WILLING to put our will on the cross… and yield ourselves to God to do HIS will, THEN we can expect GOD’s power operative in our lives.
• Then and only then GOD will work in us.
• If we allow the Lord to lead us, mold us, shape us, work through us – of course the end result will be well pleasing to Him! It is HIS work…
• They that are in the flesh CANNOT please God. God is pleased with the fruit of the Spirit and is never pleased with the fruit of the flesh – no matter how cultured, sophisticated, religious, or good it appears to be.
• God isn’t pleased with ANYTHING that comes out of a dirty fountain.
• God IS pleased with the kind of works… the kind of fruit that is borne in the life of a believer who is completely dedicated to God… as a living sacrifice… dead but alive…
• The Holy Spirit works in that believer and spiritual fruit is borne… Christ-like character radiates out of that life… and God is PLEASED.
• WHY? Because God is pleased when He sees His Son manifested in and through us! It is His Beloved Son… in whom He is well pleased!
f. Phil. 2:13 – it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of His good PLEASURE.
• God works in us in such a way that we desire to do that which is pleasing to Him.
• Let to our own, we would live to please self.
• But when God works in us – He changes us… from self pleasing creatures… to God pleasing creatures! What an improvement!
• It is the difference between our old self and Christ-likeness!
• The believer who is filled with the fullness of God is not only going to DO that which pleases God – but he will also be pleased doing it!
• Christ not only did His father’s will. He said, “I DELIGHT to do thy will O God!”
• O to be truly delighted in doing that which pleases God. What a life of satisfaction…
Introduction:
1. In this opening prayer, we have already considered the following:
a. To be filled with the knowledge of His will…
b. Wisdom and spiritual understanding…
c. A worthy walk…
d. Divine strength…
e. This morning we are going to consider the importance of the knowledge of God… a key part of Paul’s prayer for the saints.
LIFE
1. John 17:3 – this is life eternal: that they might KNOW Thee!
a. In the Bible, knowing God is a common expression of salvation…knowing God in a saving way.
2. Jer. 31:33-34 – one day all of Israel shall know the Lord.
a. The New Covenant promised to Israel—and to everyone under its blessings – LIFE.
b. In this, it differed drastically from the old covenant. NOT everyone under the old covenant knew God. In fact, most did not know Him.
c. But everyone related to God through the blood of the New Covenant is saved!
d. The Old Covenant only required a physical birth. The New Covenant requires a new birth… regeneration.
3. Jer. 24:7 – I will give them a heart to KNOW ME…
a. In Jer. 24, God carried the Jews away into captivity in Babylon. There He promised to preserve them… and He promised one day to bring them BACK into their land.
b. His promise here is that also—one day in the future—associated with the Second Coming of Christ—all Israel shall be saved… shall enter into the full blessing of the new covenant… AND they shall receive a new heart.
c. With this new heart (regeneration) they would be able to KNOW God in a personal way.
d. Without a new heart, it is IMPOSSIBLE to know God.
e. Not everyone can know God. Only the heart of a man who has been made alive spiritually is equipped to know God, who is a Spirit…
f. God gives such a heart as part of our salvation package.
4. Hos. 4:1 – That was a constant problem with Israel. They did NOT have a knowledge of God.
a. The tragedy in the land was that the people lacked the knowledge of God!
b. This was tantamount to saying, they were not saved! They didn’t have a heart for God… or for spiritual things. Spiritual things are foolishness to the natural man.
c. They had plenty of religion and ceremonies, but they were not saved. Most of the Israelites had no personal relationship with the Lord. They knew about God, but they didn’t know HIM.
5. Matt. 7:23-24 – I never knew you… and you never knew Me.
a. Here Jesus points out to religious men that they too were not saved.
b. They believed intellectually on God… the right God.
c. They did many wonderful works.
d. But Jesus said, “I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
e. They were rejected because they didn’t KNOW Him in a saving way… He didn’t know them as His sheep… as His children. There was no relationship there.
f. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice… (John 10:4). He also said, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me.” There was a relationship between the Shepherd and His sheep.
g. If someone is saved, that person knows God and God knows them.
h. They instantly cry, Abba, Father! There is an inborn witness of the Spirit that we are the children of God.
i. A little child knows his father. He knows his father’s voice—and can pick it out in a crowd of voices. He responds to his father’s voice. The same is true of a sheep and his shepherd…
6. When a person is born again, he knows God.
a. Of course, that person is expected to GROW in the knowledge of God… but there is an inborn knowledge of Him right from the moment of the new birth.
b. He knows God and God knows him.
c. The new birth is a new relationship… a father/son relationship. Fathers and sons know each other.
d. Jesus’ High Priestly prayer: This is life eternal … that they might know thee… the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent…
7. If you are not born again, you can NEVER know the Lord.
a. You can know facts about Him… but you can’t know Him.
b. You can memorize the Bible… but you cannot know God in a personal way.
c. You can go to seminary and be tops in your class—but accumulating facts about a person is NOT the same as knowing a person.
d. If you are not born again, you are DEAD spiritually. Until your spirit is regenerated… made alive unto God… you can never know the Lord in a saving way.
e. To have a relationship, both parties have to be ALIVE.
f. You can read all the books written about George Washington and become an historic expert on him… but you can never know HIM. You can never have a relationship with the person. His death made that impossible.
g. Eternal life is to know God. All those who are related to God through the blood of the New Covenant KNOW God in a saving way.
h. That is the ONLY way to know God… through Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
i. I John 5:20 – Christ came so that we might be able to know God.
j. II Cor. 4:6 – the knowledge of God comes in the face of Jesus Christ.
k. John 14:6 – There is no way to know God apart from Jesus Christ.
• This claim of exclusivity is not a popular notion today. In fact, it is hated by the world…
• Some will even call us hate mongers because we believe what the Bible says: that no man comes to the Father expect through Jesus Christ.
• There is only one way to come to the Father… there is only one way to know God…
• In the FACE of Jesus Christ… NOT in the face of Mohammad… or Buddha… or Confucius… or Mother Earth…
• Vs. 7 – the only way to know the Father is to know the Son.
PRAYER
1. Col. 1:9-10 – I do not cease to pray for you…
a. Paul prayed for the believers to grow in their knowledge of God.
b. Getting to know God is not like getting to know your neighbor. We don’t see God. It is a spiritual relationship… our spirit (made alive) communing with His spirit… but it is a very REAL relationship nonetheless.
c. Thus, since it is a supernatural relationship, it requires prayer. We have to ask God to nurture this relationship.
d. The atheist tells us that there is no God to know. The agnostic tells us that if there is a God, He is unknowable.
e. Yet the Bible tells us that there is a God and that He is knowable… and that knowing God is the highest form of knowledge… and the Christian’s greatest pursuit in life.
f. Therefore, we are to pray that we WOULD know God… and increase in that knowledge.
g. God is knowable, but He is a spirit…and is known in the spiritual realm… through a human spirit that has been made alive unto God… who comes to God in faith, praying in the Spirit…
2. Eph. 1:17 – PRAY that God would give us the wisdom and understanding of the knowledge of Him.
a. Note that this wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of God is GIVEN to believers BY God.
b. Hence, the need for prayer. Ask and ye shall receive…
c. The Holy Spirit is our teacher… He is the One who illuminates the truth to our minds… opens our understanding. PRAY!
d. Vs. 18 – without divine enlightenment, we are UNABLE to know God. He reveals Himself to us…
e. The kind of knowledge of God for which Paul prays is knowing God intimately… personally… experientially.
3. Psa. 119:18 – Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things from thy law.
a. Here the psalmist makes a prayer request for divine illumination as he reads God’s Word.
b. What is the Bible about? It is a book about GOD. In the beginning, God!
c. We too should pray that as we read His Word, God would enable us to learn about HIM.
d. The hymn writer put it this way: “Beyond the sacred page, I seek thee Lord… my spirit longs for thee, the Living Word.”
e. The knowledge of God Christ… the Living Word is recorded for us in the written Word… BUT it requires supernatural illumination by the Holy Spirit for our eyes to be able to see… to understand… to learn of Him…
f. That’s why we should PRAY as we read. The Bible is a supernatural book…
g. Col. 1:11 implies that it requires divine STRENGTH… God’s power working in us… to be able to understand.
4. Contrary to the atheist’s claim, there IS a God. And contrary to the claim of the agnostics, He CAN be known. He WANTS us to know Him… and He tells us how. Come to Him in prayer.
a. The believer who genuinely WANTS to know God… and who is willing to follow God’s pattern… WILL come to God in prayer.
b. He will spend much time in prayer… talking to God… seeking His face… asking for illumination… guidance… seeking to know God better.
c. AND—as we do this… as we spend time with God in prayer, we WILL come to know Him better.
d. How DO you come to know a person? By spending TIME with that person.
THIRST
1. Prov. 2:5 – if you seek her as gold THEN shall thou find the knowledge of God.
a. The knowledge of God is only available to those who are alive unto God through the new birth… AND for those who seek to know God in prayer.
b. However, more is required of us. When it comes to our daily bread, we should pray… but don’t stop there! We are to seek it… go after it… and if we don’t have a job—seek one!
c. Solomon tells us here that obtaining the knowledge of God does not come by dabbling.
• Have you ever met a dabbler? There’s nothing wrong with dabbling into things.
• Some people dabble with the piano. They never take learning the piano very seriously… they never take lessons… never devote a portion of their life to it… but on occasion, when it is convenient, they may sit at a piano and pluck out a few tunes. By dabbling you can pick up a few skills… but you’ll never go very far.
• Some people dabble with a foreign language. They may learn a few Italians words here… a few French words there… and a few Spanish words… but they never get serious enough to study the language… to learn all the verb tenses and endings… they are content to dabble with a few words here and there.
• There’s nothing wrong with dabbling in music or art or a language… as long as it is not essential to your life or your life’s work.
• But the knowledge of God IS essential. And dabbling just isn’t going to cut it. You’ll never know God in a very deep way or a meaning relationship to the Lord by dabbling…
• But unfortunately, that’s how many Christians approach their faith – dabbling with Christianity!
• If you come to church once a week, hear a sermon, and then go off for the rest of the week without any serious study of God’s Word… fellowship with God’s people… prayer… or Bible reading… then you are just dabbling with knowing God. And you’ll never go anywhere spiritually.
• By dabbling, you can learn enough words to get by…and to please men… to make you look reasonably in tune with the church family…
• Many believers live their entire lives just dabbling in the faith… and also never experience much spiritual growth… or depth… and never really know the Lord in a deep way… all is surface… their faith is real, but superficial… no depth…
• And their lack of knowledge of God… their lack of a deep relationship to the Lord has nothing to do with intellect. It has to do with the heart… and the heart’s desire.
d. The knowledge of God is obtained only when we SEEK it with our whole heart… like gold diggers seek after gold. They were thirsty for gold… they could almost taste it…
• How much effort did the gold diggers in the days of the California gold rush put into their enterprise?
• They left their comfortable east coast lives behind… they put everything else aside—and traveled out to the wild, wild, west in search of gold… and paid an incredible price. The Alaskan gold rush cost the lives of countless men!
• Solomon’s point is that to really know God – it requires a sold out effort on our part… not just a week end dabbler.
2. Ps. 42:1-2 – my soul thirsteth for the Living God.
a. Not His blessings; His help; His gifts… but HIM.
b. The psalmist compares his thirst for God to the thirst of a deer thirsting after water. The deer can’t LIVE without water… and seems to sense that.
c. So too the believer ought to thirst after God… thirst to know Him more and more… seek to increase in the knowledge of God…
d. No deer would ever be satisfied with yesterday’s drink… she seeks a constant renewal of water… every day… many times during the day… whenever she can, she stops for a drink.
e. No believer should ever be satisfied with yesterday’s drink from Gods’ Word. We need a FRESH supply every day… a FRESH look into the Scripture… fresh insight… fresh application… a fresh glimpse of God in His Word…
f. A spiritually minded believer is also going to sense that he NEEDS the water of God’s Word for his very survival, spiritually! Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word of God! It is our “necessary food”… living water…
g. The believer who seeks the Lord this way will discover the knowledge of God. This isn’t dabbling. This is whole hearted searching… longing… thirsting…
h. God is delighted to reveal Himself to the one who seeks after Him as a deer pants after water… as a gold digger seeks after buried treasure…
i. God waits to see a yearning heart before he opens our eyes to behold wondrous things from His law!
j. He feeds us in direct proportion to our hunger…
k. Another interesting note here is that most believe that this psalm was written by David when banished by Absalom his son out of the land.
• This had to have been one of the lowest points in David’s life… treason and treachery—by his own son!
• Now he is away from the Temple… and MISSES the times of worship and communion with God…
• Perhaps David never LONGED for communion with God and fellowship with God’s people so much as when he was far away… (You don’t miss your water till your well runs dry).
• God can use these DRY times to cause us to appreciate the value of knowing Him… and communing with Him.
• This was illustrated in the wilderness wanderings, when the children of Israel began to loath the manna. It was so plentiful… and so available… that they grew tired of it. (Same old thing!)
• I’m afraid we too might lose our hunger and thirst for the knowledge of God because it is so plentiful here… so available…
• We don’t have to drive two hours in a snow storm in a horse and buggy to sit on a cold hard bench for church. It is all so easy and comfortable for us. We have books, bibles, tapes, CD’s, bible software—everything we need…
• Yet none of that will help us know God without a driving inner burning to know Him… an insatiable thirst…
• When we get good and thirsty, God will be ready to reveal Himself to us.
3. Hos. 6:6 – we shall know if we follow on (chase; pursue) to know…
a. In Hos. 6, we have EITHER the words of the prophet exhorting the people to repentance OR the words of the people exhorting one another to repent…
b. Either way, they are an exhortation to repentance. (Let us return unto the Lord!)
c. God, like an angry lion tore them up in judgment… but they acknowledge that if they repent, He will heal them and revive them.
d. His conclusion to this thought is found in vs. 3 – “we shall KNOW—if we follow on to know the Lord.”
e. If we return to God and pursue a relationship to Him… if we seek to know Him… we WILL know!
f. A LACK of the knowledge of God is what brought them to ruin in the first place.
• Hos. 4:6 – God’s people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge of God.
• Hos. 4:14 – those who don’t understand this shall fall.
g. The speaker acknowledges that that can all be reversed, IF they follow on to know the Lord… pursue the knowledge of God… and where it leads I will follow!
• Follow on: follow after, harass; pursue, persecute, run after; eagerly aim to secure.
• If that is our attitude, we too shall know the Lord… in a deeper way… a closer way…
• Knowing God is not just intellect. It is primarily HEART attitude.
• Knowing God requires an ongoing attitude of heart… a driving force in one’s life… thirst…
h. Ps. 37:4 – delight thyself in the LORD and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
• Again—we are so earthly, we miss the point here too often.
• We all have desires in our hearts… things we want the Lord to do or to change… to heal… “I don’t want much, I just want __________.”
• The promise is not to give us what we want.
• The promise is that IF we delight ourselves in the Lord… if HE Himself becomes the desire of the heart… then He will give us our desire! Our desire WILL be fulfilled!
• When knowing he Lord becomes the overwhelming desire of our heart… THEN our heart’s desire will be fulfilled. That’s a promise! That’s the only means to true satisfaction.
4. Jer. 9:23-24 – Men glory in all kinds of things. We set our hearts on all kinds of things…
a. We glory in wisdom… wealth… power… and a whole host of other earthly things.
b. Philosophers seek after wisdom… they thirst after it… they pursue it… their lives are devoted to it.
c. Men who love riches seek after material gain… they thirst after it… they pursue it… their lives are devoted to it.
d. Some men crave power… they thirst after it… they pursue it… their lives are devoted to it.
e. Here we are told NOT to glory in such things… or crave after them.
f. But there is one thing… one desire of our heart that we CAN and should glory in: that we know the Lord!
g. And, the Lord DELIGHTS in these things!
• Do you want to please God?
• Then dedicate your life to knowing Him… develop a relationship with Him… pursue the knowledge of God with every ounce of strength God gives…
• As we “increase in the knowledge of God,” we are “unto all pleasing.”
COMMITMENT
1. II Tim. 2:7 – consider the words taught to you in church and PRAY that the Lord would give you understanding on those issues…
a. This is a divine work. It is not just one human being teaching another.
b. It is GOD using a Spirit filled man to teach other Spirit filled men… and the Spirit of God using that truth in the heart of the hearer… and illuminating his mind… and opening his eyes… and ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who is the real teacher.
c. IF the believer considers (takes to heart) the things Paul just said (about the necessity of a sold out life—a soldier, willing to endure hardships, willing to put the world aside, willing to be dedicated to doing the will of his commander in Chief)…
d. THEN the Lord will give the believer a good understanding in all things.
e. Spiritual understanding is GIVEN by the Lord—but not to all believers. Heart dedication is required!
• If we chose to cast aside the things Paul just said, then don’t expect the Lord to give us spiritual understanding.
• This is why in good churches—where the Word of God is faithfully taught—people can sit under the ministry of the word for YEARS… and walk away and live as if they had no discernment or spiritual understanding at all…
• They sat under the ministry of the Word, but they did not CONSIDER what was being said!
• “Consider” = to put your mind to something… (present active imperative…)
• THIS is the man or woman who will (at the end of the day) have a full, rich, deep knowledge of God…
• But just because your body is here on Sunday that does not guarantee that you will actually grow in the knowledge of Christ.
• For that to occur, it requires that you participate… that you receive the Word taught… and that you CONSIDER what is said… take it to heart… put your mind to it… that you THINK… put aside the cares and distractions of life… set your mind and heart on things above…
• I can’t do that for you. My job as a shepherd is to lead you to the water… but I can’t make you drink. That’s your responsibility before the Lord.
• This is one of the main reasons I am so opposed to the new wave worship services being held across the nation… where the sermon is truncated and trivialized… and skits, performance music, jokes, stories, anecdotes, and entertainment. They have created an atmosphere NOT CONDUCIVE to learning about God.
• And that has replaced the traditional church setting—which WAS conducive to learning about God… and that’s why we’re here!
• We’ve had folks that weren’t happy with our old fashioned approach. They have complained that “It’s too deep; the sermon is too long; I don’t get it…”
• I disagree. My sermons can be understood by your average fifth grader…
• BUT—it requires thinking and thirsting… considering… meditating and musing… praying and persistence… comparing Scripture with Scripture…
• And we have far too many TV generation believers who don’t want to think… they want to come to church, relax, be stroked, have their ears tickled, feel good, have a few laughs, and go home… but leave with almost NOTHING that helped them to know the Lord any better!
• “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…” (II Tim. 4:3)
• We are living in such an age.
• And while catering to that mentality fills churches today, that is not our goal here.
• Our goal is to teach the whole counsel of God… to feed the sheep… so that men leave knowing God, His will, and His Word better than when they came. Increasing in the knowledge of God…
2. Phil. 3:10 – that I may know Him…
a. Knowing God WAS the driving force in the life of the apostle Paul.
• It was a constant burning desire in his heart.
• That’s why he knew the Lord as well as he did!
b. But coming to this deep knowledge of God does not come easy.
• Vs. 8 – he suffered great earthly loss in coming to Christ.
• But he considered possessing all those earthly things a LOSS because it had kept him from the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord.
• Anything we suffer in this life isn’t worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. So too, any earthly loss we suffer is not worthy to be compared to the knowledge of God we gain in Christ.
c. Knowing Christ was the holy desire of Paul’s heart—and God granted him the desire of his heart.
d. We are all familiar with this part of Paul’s goal (to know Him. But are we as familiar with the phrases that follow?
e. “The fellowship of His sufferings.”
• This is one of the WAYS in which we come to know Christ… through fellowshipping in His sufferings.
• We could never share in his sufferings on the cross, but we can share in His sufferings for righteounsess sake…
• As we walk with the Lord, we can expect the enemy to attack. We can expect people to laugh, ridicule, call us names, and seek to harm us, etc… just like they did to the Lord Jesus.
• The sufferings of Christ here refer primarily to suffering for righteousness sake… suffering because a hostile world hates light and righteousness… and the stand we take for the truth.
• We will be enabled to know Christ in an experiential way to the degree that we are willing to fellowship (joint participation; to share) in suffering for righteousness sake…
• Don’t get the wrong idea here. We are not to TRY to irritate people with our faith. NO! Jesus suffered quietly for the most part.
• I Pet. 2:23 – “When he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not.”
• If we are willing to stand for truth and suffer for it, we too will get to know Christ in a deeper way.
• We will learn experientially:
» What He went through for us…
» What He felt like when people mocked… ridiculed…
» What it’s like to have one’s family turned against you…
» What it feels like to be despised and rejected of men…
» What He experienced as He lived in a sin cursed earth… and saw sin and evil all around Him… the inner grief…
» How He agonized in Gethsemane over sin…
» How He groaned in His spirit as He saw expressions of sin everywhere He looked…
» To the degree that we are willing to suffer like that, we will experience a deeper knowledge of Christ.
f. “Being made conformable to His death.”
• Being conformed: symmorphizomenos, which means “being conformed inwardly in one’s experience to something”
• Paul knew the Lord because he was willing to lead a crucified life.
• Through a daily life of being identified with Christ and suffering for righteousness sake, Paul was gradually MADE more and more conformable to Christ’s death…
• An inward change was taking place… wooing him more and more away from the things of the earth… and he was being wooed by the Spirit into a genuine affection for things above.
• Paul experienced a death…a death to self… a death to sin… and a death to the world… (Gal. 6:14)
• When his eyes were opened to his riches in Christ, he saw all the glories of his past life as nothing but dung.
• By coming to Christ, Paul left all of his earthly trophies behind… and whatever he lost, he found it to be GAIN!
• He had to be willing to reckon himself to be DEAD before he could experience the resurrection power… and before he could enter into a deep and precious knowledge of Christ.
• The worldly believer who is unwilling to suffer outside the camp… who is unwilling to come to the cross, and see himself as crucified to the sights and sounds of the world… will never suffer much… nor will he experience much of what it really means to KNOW Christ…
3. If we really want to know the Lord in such a way that our relationship to Him is deep, rich, and rewarding, it will COST us.
a. This is just what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that if they were going to follow Him, they would have to pick up a cross—an instrument of death.
b. Getting saved is free. Becoming a disciple… a student of the Lord… and knowing Him… is costly.
c. Anything of value is costly… this is especially so in the Christian life.
d. The more we are willing to spend of ourselves in pursuit of the knowledge of God, the more precious will be the knowledge of God.
e. It is the most important… and the most rewarding pursuit in the world.
f. And it is more than worth the cost.
g. Paul said, “When compared to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, the earthly price is but dung.”
h. Phil. 3:8 – Paul would consider himself a LOSER had he clung to all he had as a Pharisee… if he did not experience this rich knowledge of Christ Jesus.
4. No wonder Paul prayed for the Colossians, that they would continually increase in the knowledge of God.
a. Nothing is more satisfying in this life… and rewarding for all eternity.
b. Easy to say… not so easy to do.
c. He also prayed that they would be strengthened with ALL might according to God’s glorious power… that knowing God might become a reality in their lives.
DO YOU KNOW GOD in a saving way? You can—through faith in Christ Jesus!
Introduction:
1. Once again, we are looking at Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
2. He prayed for:
• Them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
• Wisdom and spiritual understanding (discernment)
• A worthy walk
• Divine strength
• Pleasing to the Lord
• The knowledge of God
3. This morning we are going to look at another aspect of Paul’s prayer: for the believers to be fruitful and increasing.
The Terms
A. Being Fruitful
‣ Defined – bearing fruit; (fruiting)
‣ Present, active, participle
• The worthy walk is characterized by fruitfulness.
• In fact, the present tense indicates that a worthy walk is continually characterized by fruit bearing.
• A barren life is not a worthy walk.
• A worthy walk is a fruitful walk… a fruitful life.
1. Col. 1:6 – fruit is the result of the gospel. Every believer produces some fruit… some time… in some form… The gospel, when believed, never fails to produce fruit.
a. Luke 8:15 – seed on good ground brings forth fruit unto patience.
• Good fruit is to be borne in our lives… unto patience.
• We are never to grow weary in well doing… nor are we to grow weary in our walk… our maintaining our testimony…
• Good seed continues to bring forth good fruit – patiently… with endurance… through good times and bad…
• The true believer hears the gospel, responds in faith, produces fruit… and CONTINUES to produce fruit… unto patience…endurance… it lasts…
• Fruit bearing characterizes a living branch… it is the distinguishing mark of a believer. It’s how you can tell the wheat from the tares… the true from the imposter…
b. Matt. 13:23 – seed on good ground brings forth fruit, some 100 fold, some 60, and some 30.
• The Lord states that all true believers will bring forth fruit… but in different degrees.
• Some are more fruitful than others.
• The difference is due to the fact that not all believers are faithful in their walk… not all walk worthy consistently. Some bear fruit all the time… some most of the time… and others some of the time.
• Don’t be content with 30 fold! Strive for 100 fold!
• Some believers are up and down… Some are constantly wandering off the straight and narrow on to some dead end street and then return… you don’t make much progress that way…
• We should be praying for one another that we would be consistently bearing fruit for the glory of God…
c. All believers will produce fruit… and that is encouraging. To the degree that we are fruitful… we are pleasing to the Lord.
• There is no such thing as a fruitless believer.
• There are lots of fruitless professors… but not true believers.
• We may go through a barren stretch in our walk… but the Lord will not allow us to stay there.
• If a man be IN CHRIST, he is a new creation. That indwelling life cannot be covered up forever. If there is life there – it will manifest itself sooner or later.
• Sin shall NOT have dominion over you!
• Wherever the gospel is received – it bringeth forth fruit – as it doth also in you, since the day he heard it!
2. Heb. 12:11 – fruit is the result of chastisement.
a. God chastens His sons SO THAT we would once again bear fruit.
b. Chastening often hurts, but afterwards, it produces good fruit… to those who are exercised thereby. (If we let God work in us!)
c. Remember – chastening doesn’t necessarily mean punishment. It can be… but it is often a very positive kind of discipline…
• It = “child-training.” (There are all kinds of disciplines in life.)
• Strong’s: the whole training and education of children (which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment.)
• God chastens us in order to make us more fruitful…
d. John 15:2 – the Father purges even the fruitful branches to make them even MORE fruitful… and pruning hurts too!
• As God prunes us, we become more fruitful…
• Pruning involves cutting away useless growth on a vine’s branch… growth that is not unhealthy, but simply takes away the fruit bearing capabilities.
• This should be the focus of our prayer life: “God take away that which hinders me from bearing more fruit for thee!”
• Do we DARE to pray like that? Be careful – God may answer that kind of prayer!
• It may not be evil, but just excess baggage that hinders us in running the race.
• Too often our hearts become attached to that baggage… and we become quite fond of all the things in that baggage… and the very things our hearts become attached to – are the very things that are weighing us down. Our adversary is quite clever.
• Are we willing to lay aside every weight and whatever else may be weighing us down and hindering our spiritual progress?
• God’s child training “convinces” us to WILLINGLY lay aside such baggage for the glory of God. Fruit is the result.
4. Rom. 7:4 – Fruit is the result of a relationship to Christ.
a. We died to the Law by the Body of Christ.
• Because of our faith, we are united to Christ in His death.
• We died with Him. We died to the Law.
• The Law has no jurisdiction over a dead man.
• This is Paul’s point: the Christian is NOT under the Law as a rule of life.
b. We died to the Law SO THAT we could be married to another – even to Christ.
• In context, Paul stated that a woman is bound to her husband so long as he lives (vs. 2)
• But if a death occurs, she is free to marry another.
• His point: under the Old Covenant, believers were married to the Law.
• But since we died with Christ, we are no longer bound to that Law. Death changes everything!
• The old relationship to Law is over. It has ended forever.
• Hence, we are free to marry another: Christ.
• Going from law to grace is like going from Moses to Christ…
• We are no longer under the old Mosaic law system. Rather, we are in a new relationship to Christ.
• What did the law produce? (vs. 5 – fruit unto death.)
• What does this new relationship produce? (vs. 4 – good fruit unto God!)
• The old dispensation was like being married to the Law. The new dispensation is like being married to Christ.
• Believers who follow the teachings of Covenant Theology miss this vital point. They see the opposite of being under the Law as lawlessness. Paul sees the opposite of being under the law as being under a new relationship to Christ: marriage.
• We are still to submit to Christ – but the motivation is not law or fear, (do or die!) but love and gratitude… living a LIFE!
• This new relationship results in good fruit… hence, this is what we ought to be praying for – that we would all grow in our relationship to Christ.
c. John 15:1-3 – fruit is the result of an abiding relationship to Christ, the true Vine.
• When talking about bearing fruit you have to go to John 15!
• Vs. 4 – the branch CANNOT bear fruit of itself. It is a supernatural work. It is the life of the VINE that flows through the branch and produces good fruit.
• Vs. 5 – if we ABIDE in the Vine… in Christ… rest in Him… remain in Him… stay close to Him… then fruit WILL be borne in our lives. He will do the work in us.
• Our job is to concentrate on our relationship to Him. His job is to produce the fruit.
• We don’t produce fruit. We BEAR it… AS we abide.
5. Gal. 5:22-23 – Fruit is the result of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
a. Fruitfulness is the work of God in us.
b. It is a supernatural work that ONLY the Holy Spirit can produce.
c. We can attempt to imitate His fruit – but the Lord is not pleased with the works of the flesh…
d. We can do all kinds of good deeds… helping others… giving… sacrificing… showing kindness… but if it is not empowered by the Holy Spirit, then it is nothing but wood, hay, and stubble.
e. All of our works are either produced by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit OR by our own fallen flesh.
f. NOTHING the flesh produces can ever please God… and none of it is ever considered good fruit by God.
g. God isn’t pleased with flesh, even if it is religious or moral. They that are in the flesh CANNOT please God. Good water can never come from a polluted fountain. An evil tree cannot produce good fruit. Our sinful nature is incapable of producing good… in my flesh dwells NO good thing.
h. BUT, when we yield ourselves to God and GOD works in us… those deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit are good in God’s sight… and pleasing to Him… a sweet smelling savor.
6. James 3:17 – fruit is the result of God’s gift of wisdom.
a. Note here spiritual wisdom is FULL of good fruit.
b. This is what Paul prayed for the Colossians: that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will IN all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
c. Note also in this passage, that this wisdom is from above. This is not natural wisdom, but supernatural.
d. It is a gift of God! It is the product of the Holy Spirit in us.
e. DO you need this kind of wisdom? PRAY. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.” (Jas. 1:5)
f. Pray for the wisdom that results in good fruit…
g. If we want to be bearing fruit for the glory of God, then PRAY… for this kind of wisdom… because it produces good fruit.
h. And since it’s from above, we need to pray for it.
7. Phil. 1:9-11 – fruit is the result of spiritual discernment… a gift of the Spirit.
a. Note here that the discerning believer, who approves things that are excellent, is the one who will be “filled with the fruits of righteousness.”
b. Note also that this is the kind of fruit that is unto the glory and praise of God.
c. Which believer will be manifesting good fruit in his life? The one who puts everything to the test… he accepts the things that are excellent… and he rejects the things that are not.
d. He is discriminating… discerning… not gullible… he wants to get to the truth… he tests everything according to the word of God.
e. Believers who aren’t so careful… who don’t put things to the test will find themselves getting involved in things that weighs them down spiritually… and waste time…
f. Since we know this – let’s PRAY for discernment… so that our lives can be more fruitful for the Lord.
8. Jas. 5:7-8 – fruit requires longsuffering and patience.
a. God has patience in waiting for fruit… so should we.
b. Fruit takes time. Fruit trees don’t become productive overnight.
c. So too with new believers. It takes time to grow…it takes time for a new believer to be chastened, disciplined and trained by God… it takes time to develop a deep, abiding relationship to Christ… it takes time to accumulate spiritual wisdom and discernment…
d. And there just isn’t any way to speed up the process of spiritual growth… though we might like to.
e. God is at work in each believer… doing a work that only HE can do…
f. As a family… or as a church family… the best we can do is to provide an environment CONDUCIVE to spiritual growth. We can teach, train, and guide, but ultimately, it is the LORD who must produce fruit in the lives His people.
g. Like a fruit farmer – his job is to break up the fallow ground, keep the soil from getting hard, sow, water, weed, add nutrients… and then wait, rest, and trust in the Lord for a good harvest.
B. Increasing
• Defined: Strong’s: (auxaunw) to grow, increase: of plants; of infants; of a multitude of people; of inward Christian growth.
• The term is used 22 times – and translated either grow or increase (about 50/50)
• It is the normal word used of spiritual growth.
1. I Cor. 3:6-7 – growth or increase is of the Lord.
a. It is the Lord who gives any increase in His work – either in a church or in an individual life.
b. We can minister, but only God can give the increase.
c. When it comes to being saved, only God can give life.
d. When it comes to being sanctified, only God can sustain life…
e. If we want to see our children growing in the Lord… if we want to see church members increasing in wisdom, and growing in Christlikeness… then we have a role to play – we are to teach, exhort, rebuke, minister, encourage, etc. But ultimately, increase is of the Lord. We are but a tool God uses… for His good end.
f. The case was the same in the Old Testament when the Israelites went out to battle. They had to pick up their swords and shields, march out against the enemy and fight… BUT ultimately, the battle is the Lord’s!
g. Vs. 9 –Paul told the Corinthians that THEY were God’s husbandry (cultivated field)…where fruit was expected to grow… also called God’s building… the church.
• In context, his point is that the pastor and teachers can sow, water, and cultivate, but ultimately, only the Lord can produce fruit and spiritual growth in believers.
• We are but tools in God’s hands. The emphasis here on fruit and growth is on GOD – and not the ministers…
• BUT – these are the tools that God uses…if you want to be growing spiritually then participate in what God is doing in the local church. It is HIS means for spiritual growth!
• The local church is the PRIMARY place where God’s life, character, wisdom, and FRUIT are manifested… to men and angels… so BE INVOLVED in God’s program for this age.
• Eph. 4:11-14a – the local church ministry is designed BY GOD for your edification… growth/increase… and maturity.
2. I Pet. 2:2 – growth comes from a thirst for God’s Word.
a. Here Peter lets us know that God’s Word sustains life… nourishes life… it is vital for a spiritually healthy walk with the Lord.
b. Just as a baby desires its milk – the believer should crave after God’s Word…
c. We need it for our spiritual growth, just as a baby needs milk for its physical growth.
d. It is a sign of health when a baby cries after its milk. We would be concerned if the baby had no desire for milk. So too with the believer! We should be concerned if we have no desire for God’s Word! It’s healthy to be hungry.
e. There are things that will HINDER our thirst for the pure milk of God’s word… and Peter exhorts us to lay them aside. (vs. 1)
• If we allow these poor attitudes to fester in our hearts, it will erode all thirst for the milk of the Word… and it will hinder spiritual growth.
• If we stop feeding on the word, we stop growing.
• (vs. 3) But if we keep on tasting, we will develop an appetite for God’s Word, for His grace, for Himself!
• In vs. 3, Peter likens their present knowledge of Christ to a tasting. Every believer has tasted the Lord’s grace in salvation. We are to keep on tasting… feasting… feeding our souls on His Word.
• As we do, we develop a taste for it… and a love for it… and we will continue to come… like a sheep being led to green pastures and still waters… like a hart panting after the waterbrooks… these are healthy signs of spiritual growth.
3. Col. 2:19 – Increase in the Body stems from holding the Head.
a. As the body holds on to Christ the Head, it increases with the increase of God.
b. As members of the Body, we should “hold fast” to Christ the Head (abide in Him; married to Him; looking unto Him) we experience a spiritual increase…
c. Read the verse backwards to trace the SOURCE of spiritual growth:
• The body increases with the increase of God -divine increase.
• There is a knitting together of members in that body
• The joints and bands are ministered to in the Body and thus receive nourishment.
• When all the body is “holding the Head” — holding fast to the Head… embracing Christ… abiding in Him.
e. Now read it forwards: When the Body holds fast to the Head, each member of the Body is ministering, and nourishment for the Body is provided… the members are knit together… and the whole Body increases… with a supernatural increase that comes from God! The HEAD is the Source of the growth… like the Vine.
f. Note once again, that whether in the life of an individual, or corporately in the Body, increase is of the Lord… spiritual growth is God’s work in us.
g. So PRAY for that… for your family… for your church family… that each one of us would hold on to the Head and as a result, experience what Paul calls “increase with the increase of God.”
Fruit and Increase By Means of the Knowledge of God
1. Instrumental case, “by means of the full knowledge of God.” This rendering is held by many good Greek scholars, such as A.T. Robertson; Vincent; Wuest; Darby; and Lightfoot.
2. One Greek form is shared by three different functions: dative, locative, and instrumental.
a. Our English version translated it perfectly accurately…
b. The difference here is not one of translation, but of interpretation… sometimes they by necessity overlap.
‣ Our English version ascribes the locative to the form… increasing in the sphere of the knowledge of God.
‣ The instrumental gives it a slightly different meaning: increasing BY MEANS OF the knowledge of God.
3. Darby captured this in his translation: so as to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God.
4. Also, the word order is a bit different in the original.
• In the Greek: Unto all pleasing in every good work; being fruitful and increasing by means of the knowledge of God.
5. Wuest’s captured the word order in his translation: “So that you may order your behavior worthily of the Lord with a view to pleasing Him in everything, in every work which is good, constantly bearing fruit and increasing by means of the thorough and perfect knowledge of God.”
6. The point is that a deep knowledge of God is the means by which we grow spiritually… and have a fruitful Christian life. It comes through knowing God…
a. In order for spiritual growth to occur, it is necessary to KNOW God, His will, His word, His plan for sanctification.
b. Ignorance of God and His word is no premium in the Christian faith.
c. We get to know Christ, the Living Word through the written word. The Bible was meant for reading… and studying… growing comes through knowing.
7. Now this is not to say that growth NEVER occurs in the lives of those who are ignorant of God and His Word.
a. A sincere believer who is ignorant of the Bible can still have a genuine and meaningful relationship to God… but not very deep.
• They will stumble over many stumbling-stones that they could have avoided… but they can get up and keep walking.
• They may struggle over sin longer… and experience more frustration in their Christian walk, but they can walk with God.
• They are more likely to become a prey to the wolves and false teachers… or to get entangled in one of the many isms out there… to be tossed to and fro…
• Knowing God will keep us from wandering down many dead end streets… spiritually.
b. True spiritual growth will be greatly hindered or curbed through ignorance of God and His ways.
• To a certain degree, our ability to grow depends upon what we know.
• There is a right way to grow spiritually which produces good fruit. God’s methodology is spelled out for us in Scripture.
• There are also wrong methods of spiritual growth which do NOT produce good fruit.
• That is part of the reason for the epistle to the Colossians – to combat the false teachings which were having an adverse effect on the believers.
• They were introducing Jewish law as a means of growth; and pagan asceticism; and neither one would ever produce good fruit.
• But if the believers were ignorant of God and His plan… they would be trapped into religious systems that were dead end streets…
• What is needed is wisdom and spiritual understanding… which is just what Paul prayed for.
• Believers need to KNOW God… His Word… His truth… and that truth will set them free… set them free from the bondage of legalism or asceticism… or Gnosticism… or any other ism that might come down the pike in the future.
• The key is not to study all the cults and become an expert at all of their doctrines. Rather, Paul says, get to KNOW GOD!
• If you know Him… you will have discernment… and you will grow and increase. Knowing God is the MEANS by which we grow, mature, and have discernment.
8. Everything is based upon knowing God – a relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
a. How do we come to a full knowledge of God’s will? By getting to know Him…
b. How do we come to please God? By getting to know Him!
9. Gal. 4:9—Paul asks the Galatians: how can you turn back to law if you know God?
a. This thought sounds preposterous to Paul… he has a hard time digesting it…
b. After you have known God… and were known by God—after you have had a close, personal relationship with the Lord, how could a person ever turn back to the law as a rule of life?
c. Knowing Christ IS spiritual discernment.
d. Increasing in our knowledge of Christ IS increasing in spiritual discernment… for in HIM are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
e. Paul figured that if they really knew God, they would never turn back to the law!
f. Paul assumes here that a healthy knowledge of God would have PREVENTED them from ever departing from the truth.
g. Knowing God is a form of spiritual discernment that enables us to recognize truth from error…
• EX: I know my wife. I know her likes and dislikes. I know her character. I even know the KINDS of things she would do… and the kind of things she would never do.
• I know the way she talks. I know the kinds of things she would say, and the kinds of things she would never say.
• If someone told me “Your wife told me to tell you to meet her inside Joe’s Bar at six tonight”… I would instantly recognize that they are either lying or they got the story mixed up.
• If someone told me that they saw my wife at Buchika’s looking for a new ski sweater – I would believe that. It sounds like her.
• Even though I wasn’t there, I can instantly recognize the difference between truth and error because I know my wife.
h. How do we as believers GROW and INCREASE in wisdom and spiritual understanding? Increase in the knowledge of God! Get to know Him better.
• I don’t need a master’s degree in music to know that there’s something wrong with bringing rock music into the church… I know who God is… He is holy…
• You don’t need to be an expert in ecclesiology to know that there’s something wrong with the ecumenical movement today… you just have to know God. He hates mixture! Read the Old Testament!
• If someone claims to be a prophet of God with some new and important message – we don’t have to waste time investigating. I know God. He is no longer speaking to men as He did in ages past. He has spoken in these last days through His Son. The doctrine has already been delivered!
10. Being fruitful and spiritual growth occur BY MEANS OF the knowledge of God.
a. It is possible to be saved without knowing very much about the Bible. Little kids can get saved. One only needs to know the gospel message.
b. But spiritual growth and maturity requires a deeper knowledge of God… and a continual increase in that knowledge… never satisfied… always hungering for more…
c. There is a direct link between learning and living; between wisdom and walking; between knowing and growing;
d. II Pet. 1:2, 3 – grace and peace THROUGH the knowledge of God…
• Grace and peace = Christlike character; good fruit.
• Vs. 2 – How is it obtained? Through the knowledge of God!
• Vs. 3 – we receive everything we need for godliness (a holy, sanctified life) THROUGH the knowledge of Him…
• We can’t walk with the Lord if we don’t know Him.
• Experiencing His grace and peace is THROUGH the knowledge of Him.
11. The better we come to know Christ, the more like Him we will be
a. II Cor. 3:18 – as we BEHOLD HIM and His glory in the word, we are transformed into that same image. Spiritual growth comes through getting to know Christ.
b. The knowledge of God that produces spiritual growth and fruit is an ACCURATE knowledge of God as found in the Scriptures –
• Too often our knowledge of God is based upon circumstances… our condition.
• If things are going well, then God loves us and cares for us.
• If things are going poorly, then God has abandoned me… maybe His love doesn’t extend to me…
• Our knowledge of God should never be based on our feelings… what we FEEL He is like… or what we feel He is doing for us. It is to be based on the WORD…
c. When we have an accurate knowledge of God, then we can rest in Him… and enjoy His fellowship regardless of our circumstances.
• And as we rest in Him… commune with Him… then spiritual growth IS taking place… one bit at a time…
• If we know who God is… THEN we can trust Him no matter what the circumstances… for to know Him is to trust Him.
• If we really know Him – He who loves us with an everlasting love… and in whose hands we are… He who will never leave us nor forsake us… if we know Him, we don’t have to fear what man will do to us.
• If we really know Him – the One who crushed the head of the serpent as He died on the cross – then we need not fear the powers of darkness… and even though Satan walks about to devour us – we need not live in fear… not if we know Christ… for to know Him is to trust Him… and faith in Him will always quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one!
• If we really know Him – the One who picked up Peter as he began to sink in the sea… the one who prayed for Peter when his faith began to falter… the one who sent His angel to deliver him from prison… if we know Him… then we need not worry about sinking… or failing… or not making it to the finish line…
• If we know God… the Husbandman who prunes His vines… and lifts up that branch that is hanging low… and cuts and trims here and there… then we can have assurance that we too will grow… and produce good fruit.
• If we know Him as our Father… the One who chastens every son whom He loveth… so that once again we become partakers of His holiness… and once again yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness… then we can be assured of the Father’s love.
• If we know Christ as our Good Shepherd… then we can be assured that when we do wander, He will bring us back to the green pastures and still waters…
• If we know Him as the Bread of life… then we will feast upon Him… and be nourished and strengthened…
• If we know Him as our Great High Priest – then we will continually come to the throne of grace for grace and strength to help in time of need…
• If we know Christ as the Vine… then we know that He continually supplies us with all we need… we are complete in Him… then we can be assured that fruitfulness and spiritual growth will be our in direct proportion to our abiding in Him.
• To know Him is to trust Him. To know Him is to rest in Him. To know Him is to fear Him. To know Him is to love Him. To know Him is to abide in Him.
• THIS is how spiritual growth and fruit occur: by trusting, resting, fearing, and abiding in Him.
Introduction:
1. God is known through teaching. (From others to us)
2. God is known through commitment. (Between us and God)
3. God is known through living. (From us to others)
GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH TEACHING
…from others to us…
In the Old Testament
1. Some in Israel came to the knowledge of God partially by observation: they SAW God’s marvelous works which were designed that we might know Him
a. Ps. 9:16 – the Lord is KNOWN by the judgments which He executeth. (consider the fall in Eden; the flood; Sodom)
b. Ex. 29:46 – The exodus enabled them to KNOW that I am the Lord
c. Deut. 29:5-6 –The wilderness wanderings… the preservation of their clothes and manna provided—THAT they might know Him… that He is the Lord your God.
d. Josh. 3:10 – in the parting of the Jordan River, God’s power was displayed to teach them that God was among them… His presence with His people…
e. Josh. 4:23-24 – God dried up the Jordan THAT all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord that it is mighty… and that He is to be feared.
f. By observing the judgments of God—the knowledge of God was disseminated throughout Israel and the known world.
g. However, throughout the Old Testament period MOST Jews never saw a miracle. Over all, miracles were quite rare.
» They were TOLD about the marvelous works of God in past generations from their fathers…
» In time, the observation of God’s marvelous works became the content of their teaching.
2. Parents taught their children the knowledge of God.
a. Deut. 11:1-7 – you KNOW all the great things God has done… but your children do not know…
b. Vs. 18-20 – THEREFORE teach them to your children who have NOT known the Lord this way…
c. I Chron. 28:9 – David’s desire for his son was that he would KNOW God. (I hope this is the greatest desire of each parent here!)
3. The Priests and Levites taught the knowledge of God to the people
a. II Chron. 30:22 – the Levites taught the good knowledge of the Lord
» Hezekiah was king. He did not teach, but he spoke comfortably to those who did.
» Hezekiah appreciated those who taught the people about God… he valued their work… he understood how vital it was to the nation for the people to know the Lord.
b. Mal. 2:7 – the priests should teach knowledge…
» The knowledge that was to be on the lips of the priests was the knowledge of God.
» The priests were messengers of the Lord. They were to deliver a message ABOUT God (who He is) and FOR God.
4. In the Old Testament, the Jews came to know God by observation of His mighty works, through parental teaching, and the teachings of the priests and Levites. This was God’s method in Old Testament times.
In the New Testament
1. The Lord is KNOWN by the judgment which He executeth.
a. Some men SAW those judgments and learned of the Lord.
» Most men HEARD about them.
» Today we READ about them… in the Bible.
» Either way, the purpose is that we might KNOW the Lord!
2. From the Parents
a. Eph. 6:4 – parents—especially fathers—are to teach the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
b. Little children can learn about God—right from the time you are able to communicate with them.
c. A parent’s job is to TEACH the young ones about the Lord… and to teach them to fear Him… honor Him…serve Him… trust in Him.
d. Don’t wait until they are saved to begin teaching them the knowledge of God!
3. From the Pastor/Teachers in the Local Church
a. Eph. 4:11-13 – pastor/teachers are to teach the congregation SO THAT each member might be brought into the full knowledge of the Son of God… (vs. 13)
b. The purpose or goal of a church’s teaching ministry is not just to teach doctrine… or the church’s creed. That has its place.
c. The purpose of the church’s teaching ministry ought to be that the members would become MATURE… and that they would come to a full knowledge of Christ…the Son of God.
d. The goal is to KNOW HIM… to know a Person, not just information.
e. That’s why we are to teach the WHOLE counsel of God…
» Many churches highlight one favorite aspect of the Person of Christ… some emphasize His love and grace; but that alone is a twisted concept of who He is and could easily lead them into embracing error…
» Others emphasize His judgment and severity; they preach separation and point out error… to the exclusion of other aspects of His Person. This too is a twisted concept of who He is.
» If we really want to KNOW HIM, then we will want the WHOLE picture of Him in the word…
f. Some emphasize His earthly ministry; (II Cor. 5:16)
» But that’s NOT the way we are to know Him any more.
» We are now new creations and see Christ from that perspective—as those who are alive unto God… seated in the heavenlies.
» We see Him not as the carpenter from Galilee, but as the Risen, Ascended, and Glorified Savior; our heavenly High Priest!
» We want to know Him as He is, not as He was; a babe in a manger… a carpenter… a dying savior on the cross.
» Cf. Rev. 1:13-17 – this is Christ as He is…
GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH LIVING
from us to others…
Our Purpose as a Witness
1. Isa. 43:10 – ye are my witnesses… that ye may know Me.
a. Israel was God’s witness and servant.
b. What was God’s PURPOSE for His servants and witnesses?
» Ask this question in your typical Bible believing church today, and you will get an answer such as:
· To knock on doors and lead men to Christ…
· Witnesses need to be busy witnessing… passing out tracts… dragging men out to church…
· To be busy serving in this ministry and that…
· Perhaps involved in this evangelistic campaign or that…
· They might list all the things that we should be DOING for the Lord…
· In many circles witnessing and serving is what Christianity is all about!
· And they are right. Witnessing and serving IS what God has called us to.
» But according to this verse, what is the primary FUNCTION of a witness and a servant? (It’s always better to look into the Bible than to ASSUME that we know the answer…)
· He is to KNOW God… and BELIEVE and UNDERSTAND.
· None of those are action verbs.
· Doing things FOR the Lord is good… in its time and place.
· However, before we ever DO for the Lord, He wants us to spend time with Him… to get to know Him… to know His will… to be FILLED with the knowledge of His will… to grow and increase in relationship to Christ…
· Then and only then are we going to know WHAT to do… and HOW to do it in such a way as to please Him…
· I don’t doubt that a lot of what goes on in neo evangelical circles today is done with good intentions…
· BUT…let’s not ignore the PRIMARY function of a witness…
· There are far too many believers serving God in ways that are NOT pleasing to Him… because those posing as God’s witnesses and servants don’t really know the Lord very well!
· The better we come to know the Lord, we better witnesses we will be.
· Have you ever been embarrassed by something a new believer has said or done in Christ’s name? I have. They had good intentions… but if they were more mature and knew the Lord and His Word better—they never would have said or done what they did…
· You may work your fingers to the bone trying to please someone while they are in the hospital… (you paint their house blue for them; when they arrive at home you cook them a turkey dinner; you take out the trash from the backyard… only to discover that they hate turkey, blue is their least favorite color; they didn’t want their house painted; and you threw away the antique collection they spent all summer collecting!
· Your intentions were good; you tried hard; you put a lot of effort in… BUT === you didn’t know the person very well… or you never would have “served” him the way you did!
· If we want to be witnesses and servants of Christ—there is no substitute for spending time with Him… in worship… in the Word… in prayer…
· Only when we KNOW Him are we really qualified to be His witness and serve Him.
2. John 15:26-27 – Jesus describes TWO witnesses of Him.
a. Vs. 26 – the Holy Spirit’s ministry was to bear witness of Christ. Who better than the Holy Spirit could testify of the Person of Christ?
b. Vs. 27 – The disciples were also witnesses of Christ BECAUSE they spent time with Him! They knew Him!
c. They were qualified to serve as His witnesses, not because they went to seminary… or because they demonstrated some great skills in teaching or preaching… or because they have demonstrated a knack for bringing people to salvation.
d. They were qualified to serve as His witnesses, because they spent time with Him… they knew Him… they had a deep, personal relationship to Him. That made them WELL qualified.
e. YOUR effectiveness as a witness for Christ has nothing to do with your talents… socials skills… your spiritual gifts… your education… your ability to have every Bible verse on the tip of your tongue…
f. Your ability to function as a witness for Christ has everything to do with whether you spend time with Him… whether you have grown in your knowledge of God…
g. Jesus sent the disciples out with confidence that they would be good witnesses… because they had been with Him from the BEGINNING… throughout His entire earthly ministry… they knew Him better than anyone!
3. II Cor. 2:14 – and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
a. This illustration was also taken from the Roman Triumph. As the parade progressed through the city, garlands of flowers were cast upon the ground… and incense was burned along the parade route.
b. Thus, when the triumphant general marched through the city, there was the accompany “smell of victory”! A beautiful fragrance.
c. The fragrance in the air sent out a message to all present. The message was victory! It was a message that caused everyone to recognize the triumphant general… even if he was relatively unknown in the city before the parade, he would be well known during and after the parade!
d. When the people of Rome smelled that fragrance, they would KNOW that the man at the head of the parade, the general, was a victor!
e. Paul uses the Roman Triumph as an illustration of his ministry as a witness for Christ… a servant of the Lord.
f. As Paul followed Christ (The Triumphant General) in this victory parade, he saw himself as one who “made manifest the savour (odor) of Christ everywhere he went!
g. Paul speaks of himself as one who was like an incense bearer in this victory parade! Everywhere he went, he sent out this aroma… he caused people to know Christ, the Victorious Conqueror!
h. Everywhere Paul went, people got a “whiff” of Christ!
» Through Paul, the knowledge of Christ was being spread abroad like a sweet perfume…sweet incense…
» It was as if the smell of Christ had rubbed off on Paul.
» The same sweetness that characterized the life of Jesus radiated from the life of Paul. It was the same scent… the same odor… holiness; grace; mercy; righteousness; purity; love; truth.
» The aroma of Christ ascended up out of Paul’s life. For Paul, to live was Christ!
» The life of Christ was manifested in Paul. Paul’s goal was to KNOW Christ more and more… and to be like Christ… to radiate Christ-likeness wherever he went… to manifest His indwelling life… (Christ liveth in me!)
» He uses here the illustration of incense or an aroma…
» We might compare this to Mary who poured a fragrant ointment on Christ and wiped it with her hair. For days to come, Mary smelled as sweet as Jesus! It was the same odor!
· Vs. 14c – Paul knew that in “every place” he went, the knowledge of Christ was being made known… like a sweet, fragrant odor that followed him.
» And since Paul’s only purpose in life was to KNOW HIM… and to manifest Christ, he could thank God even when his own personal plans failed. God’s plans do not!
» Christ is being made known. He is a successful servant.
» To the degree that we come to know Christ… and develop a deep, personal relationship to Him… we will be qualified to function as His witnesses and His servants.
» We are fruitful and increasing as this savor becomes more and more pronounced in our lives.
» It is more pronounced the more time we spend with the Lord.
4. Hos. 6:6 – God desires that we KNOW Him more than He desires that we OFFER something to Him… or DO something for Him… by way of service or action or offering.
a. Here God states it plainly—He is more interested in us spending the time to get to KNOW HIM… than anything we could GIVE Him.
b. He is more interested that we spend time WITH Him… than doing things FOR Him…
c. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. She wanted to get to know Him more.
d. Martha was busy doing this and that. She rightly wanted to serve Him, but omitted the most important part: being still and getting to know Him.
e. Of course Mary would serve Christ… but first she wanted to learn HOW… what would please Him?
f. Once we know Him… and His will… and what it is that pleases Him, THEN we are ready to serve!
g. It is possible to serve Him without knowing Him well. But it is not possible to know Him and have a deep relationship and NOT SERVE Him.
5. Ps. 46:10 – a pre-requisite to knowing God: BE STILL!
a. How much energy we waste on trivial pursuits.
b. How often we ignore life’s most important pursuit: the knowledge of God!
c. Get apart… go up on a mountain top of you have to… get up before the kids… or stay up after they go to bed… but spend time alone with the Lord… get to KNOW Him…
d. That is the source of fruitfulness… and growth…
e. What a lesson to learn – that we are but a branch on the Vine… and our big job in life is just to abide… remain… rest… stay plugged in… and HE will produce fruit through us.
GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH COMMITMENT
between us and God…
1. II Tim. 2:7 – consider the words you learn in church and PRAY that the Lord would give you understanding on those issues…
a. This is a divine work. It is not just one human being teaching another.
b. It is GOD using a Spirit filled man to teach other Spirit filled men… and the Spirit of God using that truth in the heart of the hearer… and illuminating his mind… and opening his eyes… and ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who is the real teacher.
c. IF the believer considers (takes to heart) the things Paul just said (about the necessity of a sold out life—a soldier, willing to endure hardships, willing to put the world aside, willing to be dedicated to doing the will of his commander in Chief)
d. THEN the Lord will give the believer a good understanding in all things.
e. Spiritual understanding is GIVEN by the Lord—but not to all believers. Heart dedication is required!
» If we chose to cast aside the things Paul just said, then don’t expect the Lord to give us spiritual understanding.
» This is why in good churches—where the Word of God is faithfully taught—people can sit under the ministry of the word for YEARS… and walk away and live as if they had no discernment or spiritual understanding at all…
» They sat under the ministry of the Word, but they did not CONSIDER what was being said!
» “Consider” = to put your mind to something… (present active imperative…)
» THIS is the man or woman who will (at the end of the day) have a full, rich, deep knowledge of God…
» But just because your body is here on Sunday, does not guarantee that you will actually grow in the knowledge of Christ.
» For that to occur, it requires that you participate… that you receive the Word taught… and that you CONSIDER what is said… take it to heart… put your mind to it… that you THINK… put aside the cares and distractions of life… set your mind and heart on things above…
» I can’t do that for you. My job as a shepherd is to lead you to the water… but I can’t make you drink. That’s your responsibility before the Lord.
» This is one of the main reasons I am so opposed to the new wave worship services being held across the nation… where the sermon is truncated and trivialized… and skits, performance music, jokes, stories, anecdotes, and entertainment. They have created an atmosphere NOT CONDUCIVE to learning about God.
» And that has replaced the traditional church setting—which WAS conducive to learning about God… and that’s why we’re here!
» We’ve had folks that weren’t happy with our old fashioned approach. They have complained that “It’s too deep; the sermon is too long; I don’t get it…”
» I disagree. My sermons can be understood by your average fifth grader…
» BUT—it requires thinking and thirsting… considering… meditating and musing… praying and persistence… comparing Scripture with Scripture…
» And we have far too many TV generation believers who don’t want to think… they want to come to church, relax, be stroked, have their ears tickled, feel good, have a few laughs, and go home… but leave with almost NOTHING that helped them to know the Lord any better!
» “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…” (II Tim. 4:3)
» We are living in such an age.
» And while catering to that mentality fills churches today, that is not our goal here.
» Our goal is to teach the whole counsel of God… to feed the sheep… so that men leave knowing God, His will, and His Word better than when they came. Increasing in the knowledge of God…
2. Phil. 3:10 – that I may know Him…
a. Knowing God WAS the driving force in the life of the apostle Paul.
» It was a constant burning desire in his heart.
» That’s why he knew the Lord as well as he did!
b. But coming to this deep knowledge of God does not come easy.
» Vs. 8 – he suffered great earthly loss in coming to Christ.
» But he considered possessing all those earthly things a LOSS because it had kept him from the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord.
» Anything we suffer in this life isn’t worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. So too, any earthly loss we suffer is not worthy to be compared to the knowledge of God we gain in Christ.
c. Knowing Christ was the holy desire of Paul’s heart—and God granted him the desire of his heart.
d. We are all familiar with this part of Paul’s goal (to know Him. But are we as familiar with the phrases that follow?
e. “The fellowship of His sufferings.”
» This is one of the WAYS in which we come to know Christ… through fellowshipping in His sufferings.
» We could never share in his sufferings on the cross, but we can share in His sufferings for righteousness sake…
» As we walk with the Lord, we can expect the enemy to attack. We can expect people to laugh, ridicule, call us names, and seek to harm us, etc… just like they did to the Lord Jesus.
» The sufferings of Christ here refer primarily to suffering for righteousness sake… suffering because a hostile world hates light and righteousness… and the stand we take for the truth.
» We will be enabled to know Christ in an experiential way to the degree that we are willing to fellowship (joint participation; to share) in suffering for righteousness sake…
» Don’t get the wrong idea here. We are not to TRY to irritate people with our faith. NO! Jesus suffered quietly for the most part.
» I Pet. 2:23 – “When he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not.”
» If we are willing to stand for truth and suffer for it, we too will get to know Christ in a deeper way.
» We will learn experientially:
· What He went through for us…
· What He felt like when people mocked… ridiculed…
· What it’s like to have one’s family turned against you…
· What it feels like to be despised and rejected of men…
· What He experienced as He lived in a sin cursed earth… and saw sin and evil all around Him… the inner grief…
· How He agonized in Gethsemane over sin…
· How He groaned in His spirit as He saw expressions of sin everywhere He looked…
· To the degree that we are willing to suffer like that, we will experience a deeper knowledge of Christ.
f. “Being made conformable to His death.”
» Being conformed: symmorphizomenos, which means “being conformed inwardly in one’s experience to something”
» Paul knew the Lord because he was willing to lead a crucified life.
» Through a daily life of being identified with Christ, and suffering for righteousness sake, Paul was gradually MADE more and more conformable to Christ’s death…
» An inward change was taking place… wooing him more and more away from the things of the earth… and he was being wooed by the Spirit into a genuine affection for things above.
» Paul experienced a death…a death to self… a death to sin… and a death to the world… (Gal. 6:14)
» When his eyes were opened to his riches in Christ, he saw all the glories of his past life as nothing but dung.
» By coming to Christ, Paul left all of his earthly trophies behind… and whatever he lost, he found it to be GAIN!
» He had to be willing to reckon himself to be DEAD before he could experience the resurrection power… and before he could enter into a deep and precious knowledge of Christ.
» The worldly believer who is unwilling to suffer outside the camp… who is unwilling to come to the cross, and see himself as crucified to the sights and sounds of the world… will never suffer much… nor will he experience much of what it really means to KNOW Christ…
3. If we really want to know the Lord in such a way that our relationship to Him is deep, rich, and rewarding, it will COST us.
» This is just what Jesus meant when He told His disciples that if they were going to follow Him, they would have to pick up a cross – an instrument of death.
» Getting saved is free. Becoming a disciple… a student of the Lord… and knowing Him… is costly.
» Anything of value is costly… this is especially so in the Christian life.
» The more we are willing to spend of ourselves in pursuit of the knowledge of God, the more precious will be the knowledge of God.
» It is the most important… and the most rewarding pursuit in the world.
» And it is more than worth the cost.
» Paul said, “When compared to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, the earthly price is but dung.”
» Phil. 3:8 – Paul would consider himself a LOSER had he clung to all he had as a Pharisee… if he did not experience this rich knowledge of Christ Jesus.
4. No wonder Paul prayed for the Colossians, that they would continually increase in the knowledge of God.
a. Nothing is more satisfying in this life… and rewarding for all eternity.
b. Easy to say… not so easy to do.
c. He also prayed that they would be strengthened with ALL might according to God’s glorious power… that knowing God might become a reality in their lives.
Knowing in Degrees
1. In certain disciplines, getting to know the material has different levels of complexity.
a. A beginning kindergarten course in math may include learning to count to 100 and to identify the letters. There is a finite number that can be known completely by the students.
b. While one kindergartner may know that course completely, he does not know mathematics completely. There is much more to know and learn.
c. I know my dog pretty well. He is not a very complex creature.
d. Getting to know a human being is much more complex. There is communication… speech… there are motives… sometimes hidden… human beings put on masks… don’t always say what they are feeling or thinking…
e. Some people we know casually… others we know pretty well… others we know quite well. Our spouse we know intimately.
f. Sometimes people live together for years and don’t really know each other very well. Human relations are complicated…
g. But when we are talking about knowing GOD—He is infinite. We can know God in a saving way… and grow in our knowledge of God… but as deep as we get—we are just scratching the surface.
h. We will be learning of Him for all eternity…
Introduction:
Strengthened With All Might
1. A worthy walk is characterized by divine strength.
a. “Worthy” means “of equal weight, value, or worth”
b. A walk worthy of the Lord is a walk whose moral quality and weight is equal to the Lord Himself!
c. If God is infinitely holy (and He is) then how could our walk ever be worthy of Him?
d. If God’s calling is as high as heaven (and it is) then how could we ever live up to it?
e. If God demands that we be holy as He is holy… what chance do we have? The demands are impossible.
f. The answer is that the God who makes the impossible demands also backs them up with His own omnipotence… for those who are willing to trust in Him.
» When He tells the children of Israel marching around Jericho to blow their trumpets, He causes the walls to fall down.
» When He tells the children of Israel to march through the Red Sea, He opens up the sea.
» When He tells Peter to walk on water, He holds him up.
» When He tells us to walk in newness of life, He provides the power of the resurrection to do so.
» When He tells us to love our enemies, He backs that command up with omnipotence.
» When He tells us to love as Christ loved us – He backs that command up with His omnipotence… so that we are strengthened with ALL MIGHT to do what God has commanded.
2. God provides all might for the weak, but trusting sinners to be able to walk worthy… to walk in newness of life…
a. Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power. (Col. 1:11)
b. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. (Eph. 1:19)
c. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. (Eph.3:16)
d. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Eph. 3:20)
e. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Eph. 6:10)
f. God’s power is available to be operative in us… but only when the vessel is emptied of self and full of HIM. Then His power operates in and through us…
g. And ALL MIGHT is available… the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available… omnipotence…
h. All the power we need is available to us to walk a worthy walk… to please Him…
i. It is divine power that enables us to be FILLED with the knowledge of His will. It is also divine power that enables us to FULFILL His will… to walk in obedience to His known will… the only way to please Him.
3. According to His glorious power…
a. We are strengthened (continually—present participle—as we abide in Christ the Vine, we are strengthened… as we hold the Head, we increase…
» This strength is steady; consistent; abiding; continuous.
» God does not zap us with power on Sunday, which power is supposed to last us all week… like charging up a battery!
» Rather, God’s power is more like the continuous supply of electricity—but requires the lamp to be plugged in… for a moment by moment supply.
» That’s how God supplies our power… as we abide in Him.
b. According: in accord with; that which corresponds to; equal to;
» Note that the strength supplied is not in accordance with our need, but rather is in accordance with HIS power…
» In other words, when we face a trial that would require, say, 10 pounds of strength… it is not that God makes exactly 10 pounds of strength available to us… that would be strengthened according to our need.
» Rather, when we face a trial that demands 10 pounds of strength, God provides the power of His glory to us… His omnipotence is made available to us… that’s how we can REST as we face our foes!
» God’s method of enabling us to face our foes and to face adversity is not to give us what we think we might need… but rather He provides overwhelming force… that which is supplied is not in accordance with what we need… but with what God has!
» The branch that is abiding in the Vine has access to ALL the strength and nourishment and power of the Vine!
» There is no measuring the amount of strength God provides when we trust in Him.
» The strength supplied is = the power of His glory!
» This means that there is no trial, no circumstances, no foe, no battle with the powers of darkness that could ever force a trusting believer to fall.
c. As we walk by faith – no fiery dart of the wicked one can harm us. We are protected by omnipotence. This is an awesome thought!
d. Thus, the expression teaches that we have an unending, continual resource of unlimited power to enable us to walk in His will, produce fruit, grow spiritually, and please Him.
4. A literal rendering of this phrase: according to the power of His glory.
a. There is power associated with God’s glory… God’s glory can have a powerful effect on the believer. That’s the point here.
b. But what IS God’s glory? It might sound a bit nebulous to some…
» It is the sum of His divine attributes and excellencies: His majesty, His infinite holiness, purity, dazzling brilliance, righteousness, omniscience, His everlasting love, grace, mercy, and especially here, His omnipotence… power to the degree of infinity!
» That’s God’s glory. Everything about Him is glorious.
c. There is a POWER to God’s glory… it can and should have a powerful effect on the believer.
» Moses sought to know more and more of God’s glory.
· He got a glimpse of God’s glory in the burning bush… and realized that he was then standing on holy ground.
· Ex. 24:20 – God called Moses up in the mount with Him.
· Ex. 24:16-18 – Moses went right up in the midst of the visible manifestation of the glory of God—for 40 days and nights.
· II Cor. 3:7 – the children of Israel could not look at Moses’ face when he came down—because spending time in the glory of God caused Moses’ face to radiate… it had an effect on him!
· Ex. 33:18 – Moses later sought to know MORE of God’s glory.
» John got a glimpse of the glory of the Risen Christ too. (Rev. 19:17)
· Why was John given a glimpse of His glory?
· John was an old man at this time… and exiled to a lonely rock pile for his testimony for Christ.
· To encourage Him and embolden him to continue on standing for the truth, Christ appeared to him as He is in His Risen state…
· John needed strength to continue…
· A glimpse of the glory of God provided that strength…
» Paul got a glimpse of His glory and was transformed… he never recovered! It transformed his life. Acts 9:3-6
· It emboldened him to speak up for Christ… to live for Him… to endure much suffering… and never give up.
· Paul got a glimpse of God’s glory from which he never recuperated…
· A vision of the glory of God so GRIPPED Paul’s heart, that it motivated him… and emboldened him… and strengthened him to endure nearly unbelievable circumstances.
· Acts 9:15-16 – and he would NEED this divine strength in his inner man to face all the trials and sufferings that God had planned for his life.
· If Paul was going to endure… and suffer long… he would need divine strength.
· This vision of God’s glory had a strengthening effect on him.
5. The glory of God can have a powerful effect on believers today too…
a. We will never SEE a vision of the glory of God pass by us as Moses did in the cleft of the rock… or as Isaiah did when he was before the throne high and lifted up… or as Paul did on the road to Damascus… or as John did on the isle of Patmos.
b. BUT — we CAN get a glimpse of the glory of God in His Word… and it CAN get a hold of our hearts in such a way as to be life transforming… and strengthening in the inner man… so that we too are never the same!
c. II Cor. 3:18 – this is the kind of strength and growth that is ours as we BEHOLD the glory of the Lord…
» As we behold the glory of the Lord in the Scriptures… and it grips our hearts… we are transformed… into that same image…
» To really BEHOLD it is to be gripped by it! How could it be otherwise?
» As God’s glory grips our hearts and minds… it has a strengthening effect on our lives.
» This work of transforming a sinner into the image of Christ is the greatest demonstration of divine power…
» As this process occurs, believers are strengthened with ALL might… and this strengthening is in accord with the power of His glory…
» When grasped and seen for who He really is—the glory of God has a life transforming effect on the believer.
» There is a direct connection here between power and glory.
» And note here that we are to behold the Lord Jesus Christ… in His glory!
· Not the weak Jesus of the gospels… who hungered and wept, and died…
· When it is comfort we need, God emphasizes this aspect of Christ’s earthly ministry. (Heb. 2:17-18)
· But when it is strength we need, we are to behold Christ in His glory… the resurrected, ascended, and glorified Savior in heaven!
· That is the “vision” that transforms us… and strengthens us with might in the inner man…
d. As believers, it is possible to hear certain truths repeated hundreds of times, before that truth really sinks in…
» Most believers in sound churches would agree on paper that bringing glory to God is the main purpose for our lives.
» If we were all given a multiple choice test, virtually all believers would get the right answer… because we have SOME understanding of its significance… we have it in our heads.
» But when it sinks deep down into our hearts, and grips our hearts, and dominates our thoughts… and overshadows all other motives in life… THEN it changes us forever… when we REALLY get it…
» Pastor Carlton Helgerson from The Church of the Open Bible used to say, “If they only knew who God is…” I think what he meant by that was exactly what Paul states in different terminology in Col. 1:11 – “the power of His glory…”
» God’s glory IS who He is… and when we know God that way… when who He is really sinks in—when His glory grips our soul… it has a strengthening and life transforming effect on the believer…
» Sometimes folks sit under such teaching for years and never get it… it never sinks in… and other times, it DOES sink in… from the head to the heart… and sets that believer’s life ablaze for God.
» God’s revelation of Himself to us is the source of our strength.
e. Paul prays for this for the Colossians… that the POWER of God’s glory would be like DYNAMITE in their inner man!
» In the phrase “strengthened with all might” strengthened and might are the same root… (verb and noun)… and it is the word from which we get our English word “dynamite!”
» What an awesome prayer… that the believers would behold the glory of God in such a way that it have POWER over them… and be like dynamite in their inner man…
» Strengthened—because they got a glimpse of who God is… of His glory… His majesty… power… truth… sovereignty… grace… omnipotence…
» Once you get a glimpse of who God is, you’re never the same again…
» Let’s pray that each one of us here would come to know God this way… and be moved… challenged… changed…strengthened… and transformed by that vision.
» As the hymn writer wrote: Be Thou my vision!
Patience and Longsuffering
PATIENCE
1. For what purpose is divine power made available to us?
a. If one looks to the charismatics, one might assume that God makes His power available to us that it might be displayed in some magnificent and miraculous way for all to see… perhaps speaking in tongues… raising the dead… making the blind see… and the lame leap…
b. If one looks to the Catholics one might assume that God makes His power available so we can see a picture of Mary suddenly appear in a cloud formation… or on a factory wall…
c. But if one looks in the epistles addressed to us… the church… one finds God’s power is made available UNTO patience…longsuffering… and joy… in other words—it is ours that we might produce fruit…
d. God’s power is manifested in Christlike character… not Christlike miracles!
e. UNTO = in that direction; patience is the goal of the strength…
2. Patience:
a. Defined: hupomene…
» hupo = under; mene = remain; abide; hence, to abide under… to remain under…
» It speaks of one who remains under pressure; under a heavy weight.
» He doesn’t quit… he doesn’t cave in… he doesn’t turn back…
» The term means endurance… patient, steadfast endurance… perseverance…
b. Charles Spurgeon wrote that it was this kind of perseverance that enabled the snail to make it to the ark…
c. As Christians, we are to run the race with patience… (Heb. 12:1)
» This is why Divine strength is provided. Not so that we can raise the dead or walk on water… but rather so we can run the race with patient endurance… and not quit.
» And how much power is made available to us for this race? The POWER of His glory… ALL might from the Almighty…
» And HOW are we to run? Looking unto Jesus… the heavenly, resurrected, ascended and glorified Savior… as we behold Him in His glory… we are strengthened to continue running with patient endurance…
» There is a connection between power and beholding the glory…
d. Spiritual strength is given that we might STAND… and withstand in an evil day… against spiritual opposition… and when the battle and the conflict is over, to remain standing…
3. ALL patience.
a. Consider the “alls” in this prayer: all wisdom; all pleasing; all might; and all patience…
b. All patience speaks of endurance that perseveres through ALL of life… all of life’s trials and troubles… all of life’s difficulties…
c. And we are able to have ALL patience because we have ALL might!
d. Therein lies the real power of Christian testimony… endurance…
e. Anyone can muster up a flash of strength here and there. But the power of God available to the one who abides in Christ enables us to endure through ALL… through everything… through anything… without quitting.
f. Winston Churchill spoke at his alma mater, Harrow University in his older years. The old man stood up to make his speech and said, “Young gentlemen, never give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never.” And then sat down.
LONGSUFFERING
1. Longsuffering defined: makrothumia; long fused; self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate.
a. Trench distinguished the two terms this way:
» hupomene = endurance without succumbing
» makrothumia = endurance without retaliating
b. Another Greek scholar made this distinction:
» patience/endurance (hupomene) or endurance relates primarily to patience with trying circumstances
» longsuffering relates to patience with trying people
c. Self restraint when provoked; not striking back; not complaining
d. It takes divine power to demonstrate these qualities in our fallen hearts, doesn’t it!? This is a far greater display of Divine power than walking on water.
2. Here Paul says that longsuffering is characteristic a walk worthy of the Lord.
a. Eph. 4:1-2 – it is characteristic of the walk that is worthy of our high calling in Christ.
b. I Pet. 2:19—20 – God is pleased when believers patiently endure through persecution… through trying circumstances and trying people!
» Even when doing well, we may suffer… wrongfully…
» When we suffer for well doing and take it patiently…longsuffering… without blowing up… without striking back… but willing to take the abuse and even turn the other cheek…– this is “acceptable” to God (grace; pleasing).
» This IS fruit… (Cf. vs. 21-23 – Christlike behavior that pleases the Father!)
c. This is a walk worthy of the Lord… worthy of our high calling… one that is “unto all pleasing”… and fruitful…
» This is NOT the way the flesh wants to react. The flesh says, “I’m not going to take it any more! I’m going strike back… I’m going to seek vengeance… I’m going to get even… and then some!”
» The walk of the flesh is proud, self assertive, demanding, short fused, putting self first, and disruptive.
» The worthy walk is with “all lowliness, and meekness with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” (Eph.4:2)
d. That’s why it takes the power of God working in us to produce a Christlike response to evil and to mistreatment… Christlike behavior is UNLIKE us…
» It is a demonstration of the power of God…and a manifestation of the indwelling LIFE of Christ…
» And how practical and helpful when this spirit is demonstrated in the home!
» How many arguments and fights could have been avoided with a little longsuffering… a longer fuse… how many hurtful things were said that could have and should have been left UNSAID…
» What awful examples we set for our kids when we choose to blow up at our spouse right in front of them… rather than rely upon the power of God to strengthen us UNTO all patience with longsuffering!
» The power of God is not just for Sunday morning when you teach a Sunday school class or sing in the choir; it’s available to us every day of the week, because we NEED it every day of the week!
» We need it at home… with our kids… our spouses… we need it all day long in the office… during the commute… we need it with our relatives…
» We need it in the local church… to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!” (Eph. 4:3)
· There will be times when folks right here in the local church will rub one another the wrong way… step on toes… perhaps gossip… offend… hurt feelings…
· How do we deal with that? The flesh has its way.
· God provides POWER… divine power whose purpose is to bring us UNTO all patience and longsuffering!
· God provides ALL might that produces ALL patience… patience to enable us to endure the most difficult circumstances… longsuffering to enable us to endure the most difficult people…
Joyfulness
1. God’s infinite power is made available to us as believers through faith UNTO all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
a. It takes divine power to enable us to endure difficult situations and difficult people.
b. But it REALLY takes divine power to enable us to do so with JOYFULNESS!
c. If vs. 11 stopped with the word “longsuffering” one might conclude that Paul was promoting a harsh Stoicism… that God’s power would enable us to grind our teeth, bite the bullet, and bear it…
d. The British Isles are known for this quality… keeping a stiff upper lip… not showing any emotion… just grind your teeth and bear it!
e. Stoics pride themselves in their sheer grit to endure… to plow though difficulties… but knew nothing of doing so with JOY.
f. Christianity takes endurance to a whole new level…
2. We have illustrations of the terms Paul uses from the Bible:
a. Job and Abraham are used as illustrations of patient endurance… in spite of all odds and adverse circumstances, they kept on walking by faith… undaunted… unshaken… trusting… faithfully enduring difficult situations.
b. Stephen is a good example of longsuffering… when persecuted prayed for those who mistreated him… that’s longsuffering… not striking back…
c. Acts 16:22-25 – Paul and Silas illustrate for us endurance, longsuffering with JOYFULNESS… as they sang in prison… beaten, bound, bleeding, but buoyant with joy!
d. This is the ultimate example of the power of God operating in the life of a trusting believer… JOY!
e. And what a testimony that was… what power displayed! How different from what people are accustomed to seeing… and what an impact it can have on the lives of others… consider the Philippian jailor!
f. Consider the Hebrew believers: The Hebrew believers took joyfully the spoiling of their goods… knowing they have a better and enduring substance in heaven. (Heb. 10:34)
g. When trials come, we are not told to grind our teeth and bear it. We are told to “count it all JOY!” That takes the power of God…
h. It is not a phony kind of joy—it is not pretending to be happy. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Fruit! It is not pretending to be happy—
i. Joy is not happiness… happiness is dependent upon favorable happenings… JOY is the fruit of the Spirit… and is not related to circumstances.
» JOY is a deep, settling, stable, contentment, and an inner sense of well being that comes to us by means of the power of God and is based faith in the knowledge of God…
» We can count it all joy KNOWING that the trying of your faith worketh patience…
» The Hebrew believers who lost their earthly goods could have joy KNOWING that they have a better and more enduring substance in heaven…
» We can glory in tribulation KNOWING that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience… and experience hope…
» We can KNOW that God uses these awful situations for our eternal good… and we can KNOW that God will never leave us… we can KNOW that God will provide the grace and strength to endure… and we can KNOW that it will work together for good…
» Hence, we can have a deep, inner sense of well being… KNOWING we are in the hands of our heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love… and is shaping us into the image of His dear Son!
» We can JOY, not because God promises to make the trial go away, but because He promises His presence and His power to endure through it all!
» This is a joy that is traced back to God’s power: it is the joy of the Lord!
» God’s power produces joy in adversity; and at the same time, the joy of the Lord has a strengthening effect on us! The joy of the Lord is our strength! (Neh. 8:10)
j. “Oh JOY that seekest me through pain…I cannot close my heart to thee!”
k. God’s power isn’t seen today in the tongues movement, or in the phony faith healers… or in supposed miracles. God’s power is seen in your average Joe Christian who faces the difficulties of life with patience… with longsuffering toward difficult people… and does so with JOY… a supernatural joy that is completely unrelated to circumstances.
l. Even when there’s no fruit on the vine, “yet will I rejoice; I will joy in the God of my salvation!”
m. There isn’t any more powerful demonstration of God’s power… there isn’t any more powerful witness on earth… than the simple believer who trusts God through all the trials of life… and does so with joy—and a peace that defies understanding!
n. That’s real power… that effect demonstrated in the life of the believer is strengthened in accord with the POWER of the GLORY of God!
o. The one whose heart is gripped by the glory of God—like Paul and Silas in prison—will demonstrate patience and longsuffering WITH joyfulness…
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR…
» You can have this kind of power in your life too…
» But first you must come to Christ in faith—and as Paul said to the Philippian jailor who asked “What must I do to be saved?—BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!
Introduction:
1. Paul is praying for the Colossian believers. He prays that they might walk worthy of the Lord.
2. The worthy walk is characterized by divine strength… divine empowerment…
3. The believer who walks by faith is strengthened with ALL MIGHT… omnipotence is made available to us… the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead enables us to walk in newness of life.
4. This strength is given to us not in accordance with OUR need, but rather in accordance with HIS glorious power.
5. We also noted last week that the expression “according to His glorious power” literally reads, “according to the power of His glory.” His glory has a strengthening and transforming effect on those who behold it… focus on it…”
6. And we also looked at the PURPOSE of divine strength: God strengthens us UNTO patience and longsuffering… endurance through difficult circumstances… and endurance with difficult people…endurance without succumbing… and endurance without retaliation… that takes POWER.
7. This morning we want to look at what is arguably the greatest demonstration of divine power: joyfulness.
Joyfulness Defined
1. Defined: xara = joy; gladness
a. Joy is not happiness… happiness is dependent upon favorable happenings… JOY is the fruit of the Spirit… and is not related to circumstances.
b. JOY is a deep, settling, stable, contentment, and an inner sense of well being that comes to us by means of the power of God and is based on faith in the knowledge of God…
2. Joy is often misunderstood as bubbliness.
a. This has caused many unnecessary heartaches to well meaning, but misinformed, believers.
b. A misunderstanding of the meaning of joy could easily result in discouragement, disillusionment, and even hypocrisy.
c. It can even cause a believer to question his salvation!
d. Here’s how:
» Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God is controlling us, His fruit will be evident…
» If we are not filled with the Spirit and we are walking in the flesh, then we will NOT experience the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
» The fruit of the Spirit should be manifested in our lives ALL the time… 24-7… day in and day out… that’s the norm for the Christian—to be filled with the Spirit.
» It is a command. If we are NOT filled with the Spirit, then we are not walking in obedience. We are living in sin.
e. You can see the case I’m building here.
» Many new believers have thought through this issue this way.
» They know a few facts from the Bible… and what it says about joy… as a fruit of the Spirit…
» Someone quoted him Jas. 1:2 – Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations and trials… and he assumes that when bad things happen to him, God expects him to be happy and joyous.
» Someone else quoted Phil. 4:4 – rejoice in the Lord always!
» They realize they are commanded to be filled with the Spirit… and they know that the manifestation of that filling is JOY… then they also know that God expects them to be JOYOUS all the time…
» Now if you have a wrong definition of joy… you can draw some terribly wrong and hurtful conclusions!
» If one assumes that the joy of the Lord is equal to the world’s concept of joy… that can be devastating to a young Christian’s life!
» If a person believes that God demands that we be bubbly, upbeat, and happy… even giddy… 24-7…all year long… then we are in big trouble.
» Before too long that new believer is going to be questioning whether he IS walking with the Lord when he discovers that he’s not always bubbly and giddy…
» He may question his salvation…
» He may question whether Christianity really works… if God has let him down… or whether he has let the Lord down…
» He is going to feel like a failure… he will not only be sad by the event which brought on the sadness… but on top of that he heaps upon himself GUILT… thinking that he has let the Lord down…
» And then to help alleviate some of that guilt, he will take it a step further… and begin to FAKE it… to PRETEND that he’s happy and bubbly… and put on a phony smile… and say things he doesn’t really mean… even lie!
» Then after living a lie for so long… he may quit trying… and walk away… considering himself a failure… thinking that Christianity is too hard…
f. And what a shame when a believer begins to live a lie… a phony kind of life…
» I have seen believers FAKE joy… because of peer pressure… and because of a lack of understanding, and it is a pitiful sight.
» Especially when tragedy strikes… and the pastor comes to visit… some have assumed that God expected them to be HAPPY… even during very sad events!
» God doesn’t expect us to be HAPPY when sad things happen. He doesn’t expect us to put on a phony smile when your son is in an awful car accident… or when you have been diagnosed with cancer… to try to look spiritual.
» It doesn’t look spiritual. It looks abnormal. It looks phony.
3. Joy is NOT happiness (or bubbliness or giddiness)
a. Joy is not happiness… happiness is dependent upon favorable happenings…
» If a person is surrounded by favorable circumstances, he is going to be happy. The sun is shining; he feels good; he just got a promotion; his son just graduated tops in his class; your doctor gave you clean bill of health; the Red Sox just won the World Series…
» If a person is surrounded by unfavorable circumstances, he is NOT going to be happy. If a man gets laid off at work; if the washing machine breaks down; bad news from the doctor; family problems; car breaks down; bills pile up…
» When bad things happen, and we pretend to be happy and giddy… it could be lots of things, but it is NOT the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is not normal behavior.
» One of the definitions of insanity is when our words and actions do not properly correspond to reality… and what is happening around us.
b. JOY is not happiness; it is the fruit of the Spirit and is not related to circumstances… whether they be favorable or not.
» Hab. 3:18 – Though no fruit on the vine…
· Things seemed pretty bleak…
· Habakkuk was not happy with his circumstances, but he did have JOY.
» II Cor. 8:2 – joy with affliction and poverty…
· Nobody in their right mind would be happy about affliction and poverty.
· But you CAN have joy in the midst of it all.
» II Cor. 6:10 – sorrowful, yet rejoicing.
· Paul saw nothing inconsistent from being sorrowful and joyous at the same time.
· “O joy that seekest me through pain.”
· Our Savior never stopped rejoicing in the Lord. He always had the joy of the Lord in His heart… and yet, He was also called a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief.
» Phil. 4:4 – rejoice in the Lord always.
· Paul wrote this from prison! Circumstances were not favorable for him!
· If we are expected to rejoice always, then we are expected to rejoice in times of favorable AND unfavorable circumstances… ALL circumstances!
» Grief and sorrow… trial and tragedy might bring an end to our happiness, but it need NOT bring an end to our joy!
· Joy—the fruit of the Spirit—is unrelated to circumstances.
· We can and should have JOY and rejoice in the Lord always—whether there is fruit on the vine or not.
JOY is Related to Knowledge
1. Joy is a deep, abiding, contentment and sense of well being… that comes from knowledge…
2. Paul prayed that the Colossians would be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of God’s will… in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
a. A lack of wisdom and a lack of spiritual understanding can bring lots of unnecessary grief in the life of a Christian.
b. But on the other hand, a wise application of God’s Word… with spiritual understanding and discernment can prevent a lot of heartaches too.
3. I think of that well meaning, but ignorant believer, who just bought a new house, and now gets a pink slip at work—laid off… and his well meaning but untaught friend… who tries to cheer him up with a Bible verse: Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations!
a. When something terrible happens, are we expected to focus on the terrible event and REJOICE over it?
b. Is the man who just got laid off to count all joy because he got laid off?
c. Is the woman who is diagnosed with cancer supposed to count her cancer all joy?
d. Is the father who answers a knock on his door only to hear that his son was killed in Iraq to count the death of his son all joy?
e. Do you think God wants these folks to be happy? To be joyous about the awful circumstances they face?
f. Hardly. Remember—true joy is UNRELATED to circumstances, whether they be favorable or unfavorable.
g. It’s ok for those folks to be sad… to experience grief… to cry. In fact, that’s pretty normal and natural!
h. Jas. 1:2 does NOT command the believer to count his trial all joy. That’s quite near insanity!
4. James 1:2 – count it all joy… but what does the IT refer to?
a. The “it” of verse 2 does not refer to the trial. We are not commanded to count the trial all joy.
b. When you quote a verse—and stop a sentence in the middle, we may unintentionally alter the meaning…
c. It always helps to finish the sentence!
d. James isn’t saying that we should count the trial all joy. Rather, he is saying that we should count the OUTCOME of the trial all joy…
e. The joy is not found in the cancer, or the flat tire, or the pink slip. The joy is found in KNOWING how God will use the trial… to perfect our faith… and produce patience… and ultimately bring us to maturity (vs. 4)
5. There are several Bible passages where this error could easily be made…
a. Rom. 5:3 – we glory in tribulations, KNOWING the end.
b. I Pet. 4:12-14 – when persecuted, we can rejoice NOT because of the suffering, but because when we do suffer with Christ… we can KNOW that when Christ returns, we will be richly rewarded!
c. I Pet. 1:5-7 – we rejoice in our salvation (future tense)…
» We can rejoice because we KNOW that the trying of our faith will be found unto praise and honor at the appearing of Christ… future rewards!
» Though in the meantime, we are in HEAVINESS! Sorrow… grief… anguish… not giddiness!
» Peter acknowledges that joy can co-exist with heaviness and grief…
d. Heb. 10:34 – the Hebrew believers lost all their earthly goods… and they counted it all joy… KNOWING that they have in heaven a more enduring substance!
e. Matt. 5:11-12 – Jesus told His disciples to rejoice when they were persecuted FOR great is your reward in heaven! We can KNOW that our present suffering will be greatly rewarded in glory.
6. Don’t ever PRETEND. Don’t try to FAKE the fruit of the Spirit.
a. It’s okay to be sad when sad things occur. It’s okay to grieve in times of sorrow.
b. And yet through it all, there should also be genuine JOY… KNOWING that God can use even those trials and times of great sorrow to produce good… to produce patience and maturity in us… to make us more like His Son… and to glorify His holy name.
c. Count THAT joy… the joy does not come because of the trial or trouble. The joy comes when we KNOW the outcome of it all.
JOY is Related to Faith
1. Joy comes through knowing… knowing is essential. However, BELIEVING is equally as essential.
a. It is quite possible to be TAUGHT these truths and know the facts… have the data stored away in your gray matter somewhere.
b. But the level of joy experienced is going to be directly connected to our FAITH. Do you really BELIEVE those things?
c. Rom. 8:18 – you may have memorized this verse and know it well. But do you BELIEVE it? Are you resting in it?
d. This doesn’t mean that the sufferings become “pleasant.” But it does mean that we can have joy in the midst of those sufferings.
e. But if you don’t believe it… if you are not operating on the basis of faith… and heavenly things seem too distant… and eternal rewards are doubtful… then that knowledge is not going to bring any joy to our hearts.
f. This joy is based upon knowledge… but more importantly, on faith… and our faith is based upon God’s Word.
» Jer. 15:16 – Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name.”
» Ps. 19:8 – “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.”
» Ps. 119:111 – “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”
» Does God’s Word bring joy to your heart? When our heart is in tune with God it will…
2. Joy… in believing… (Rom. 15:13)
a. “In believing” = literally, “in the believing,” interpreted, “in the sphere of the act of habitually believing.”
b. This joy and peace that passes understanding is ours only “in the sphere of habitually believing.”
c. Step out of that sphere of faith—and the peace and joy evaporate into thin air.
d. But, AS WE WALK IN FAITH… trusting in the Lord… we experience this joy and peace… God FILLS us with it… and it is THROUGH the Holy Spirit.
e. Our job is to walk by faith… trusting in God through thick and thin… and as we lean upon the Lord and not our own understanding, we are FILLED with the Holy Spirit… and FILLED with the fruit of the Spirit… joy… and peace… and hope…
f. I Pet. 1:8 – BELIEVING, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!
» If this is all true (an inheritance that fadeth not away; kept by the power of God; the soon appearing of Christ)—and we believe it—then we REALLY have something to glory in!
» If it’s not true, then we are of all men most miserable, if we sacrifice in this life for a future with Christ that will never come to fruition… we are fools!
» But since it is true, and since we believe it—then we have an unending source of JOY! Unspeakable joy!
» The reason our joy and peace fluctuates wildly from week to week or day to day speaks not of our fluctuating circumstances so much as it speaks of the frailty of our faith!
» To experience this peace and joy, it is not necessary for our outward circumstances to change… it is necessary for our hearts to change… from trusting in self to trusting, leaning, resting, and relying upon the Lord!
» BELIEVING ye rejoice with joy unspeakable!
g. Acts 16:32 – the Philippian jailor “rejoiced… believing in God.”
Joy is Related to God
1. Phil. 3:1, 3 – Joy is related to knowing God’s plan. Joy is related to believing the promises God has given. Joy is related to God Himself!
a. Paul commands the believers to rejoice IN THE LORD. (vs. 1)
b. He states that as believers, we are they who worship God in spirit and rejoice IN CHRIST. (vs. 3) Christ is the basis of our joy. To know Him is to have cause for joy.
c. We are not to rejoice in our health; or in our financial well being; or in our family; or in our possessions; or in our country; or in our position at the office; or in our popularity; or in our talents; or in our intellect, or in our accomplishments. That is the essence of worldliness – glorying in such things.
d. We are to rejoice in the Lord! HE is the cause of our joy…
e. Jer. 9:23 – let not the wise man… the rich man… the mighty man glory… “but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that He understandeth and knoweth ME, that I am the Lord!” (glory is used as a synonym for rejoice)
2. Phil. 4:4 – once again Paul commands the believers to rejoice IN THE LORD.
a. Vs. 6-7 – don’t let worry and anxiety rob you of your joy in the Lord!
b. Come to Him in prayer… believing… resting…trusting… and leave your anxieties with Him… and He will replace them with an indescribable peace… and a joy that no man taketh from you!
3. This is the joy of the Lord… and no man can take it from us because it is completely unrelated to circumstances.
a. A joy that is related to circumstances CAN be taken from us.
b. People can rob our possessions; kill our loved ones; overtake our country; inflict physical pain upon us; they can bind us up; take away our freedom; they can make earthly circumstances miserable.
c. But our joy is in the Lord. No man can take the Lord from us—and hence, IF our joy really is in the Lord—it is unshakable.
d. Happiness is directly linked to happenstance… circumstances. But the JOY of the Lord is not.
» II Cor. 7:4 – I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.
» II Cor. 8:2 – great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded.
» II Cor. 6:10 – As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
» I Pet. 4:13 – But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.
» Acts 13:52 – And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost (after having been persecuted and expelled from the countryside! Vss. 49-51—joy because the word was preached—regardless of the response!)
e. Hab. 3:18 – Even with no fruit on the vine—the prophet could still rejoice—because his joy truly was in the Lord.
» The Lord, high and lifted up, seated in the heavenlies, is completely unaffected by the affairs down here on earth.
» God isn’t affected by the stock market; the economy; an outbreak of disease; the issues of war and peace; life and death.
» Our God—our source of joy—is immutable—a solid Rock! I am the Lord—I change not!
» This is a hard lesson to learn—but one that is exceptionally profitable… to be reduced to nothing… to be brought to the place where all we have left is the Lord… and then to discover that He is all we need!
» And to think that as a Christian, regardless of how bleak things look from an earthly perspective, we need to focus on our glorious position in Christ—raised up into heavenly places; blessed with all spiritual blessings; complete in Christ; forgiven; accepted in the Beloved.
» No man can rob us; no circumstances of life can take away our glorious position and our joyous relationship to our blessed Savior.
» And as long as we have a single eye for Christ—our whole body will be full of light and joy…
» When we rejoice in the Lord… and delight ourselves in the Lord… sooner or later the light will dawn upon us: eureka! “I already HAVE that which I delight in! I HAVE that which is the constant source of JOY! My joy IS the Lord… and He will never leave me nor forsake me!”
Joy is Related to Divine Power (Col. 1:11)
1. God’s infinite power is made available to us as believers through faith UNTO all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
a. It takes divine power to enable us to endure difficult situations and difficult people.
b. But it REALLY takes divine power to enable us to do so with JOYFULNESS!
c. If vs. 11 stopped with the word “longsuffering” one might conclude that Paul was promoting a harsh Stoicism… that God’s power would enable us to grind our teeth, bite the bullet, and bear it…
d. The British Isles are known for this quality… keeping a stiff upper lip… not showing any emotion… just grind your teeth and bear it!
e. Stoics pride themselves in their sheer grit to endure… to plow though difficulties… but knew nothing of doing so with JOY.
f. Christianity takes endurance to a whole new level…
7. We have a great illustration of patience and longsuffering WITH JOY!
a. Acts 16:22-25 – Paul and Silas illustrate for us endurance, longsuffering WITH JOYFULNESS… as they sang in prison… beaten, bound, bleeding, but buoyant with joy!
b. This is the ultimate example of the power of God operating in the life of a trusting believer… JOY!
c. And what a testimony that was… what power displayed! How different from what people are accustomed to seeing… and what an impact it can have on the lives of others… consider the Philippian jailor!
d. Consider the Hebrew believers: The Hebrew believers took joyfully the spoiling of their goods… knowing they have a better and enduring substance in heaven. (Heb. 10:34)
e. When trials come, we are not told to grind our teeth and bear it. We are told to “count it all JOY!” That takes the power of God…
f. It is not a phony kind of joy—it is not pretending to be happy. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Fruit! It is not pretending to be happy—
g. Joy is not happiness… happiness is dependent upon favorable happenings… trials are just the opposite of favorable happenings.
h. JOY is the fruit of the Spirit… and is not related to circumstances.
» JOY is a deep, settling, stable, contentment, and an inner sense of well being that comes to us by means of the power of God and is based on faith in the knowledge of God…
» We can KNOW that God uses these awful situations for our eternal good… and we can KNOW that God will never leave us… we can KNOW that God will provide the grace and strength to endure… and we can KNOW that it will work together for good…
» Hence, we can have a deep, inner sense of well being… KNOWING we are in the hands of our heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love… and is shaping us into the image of His dear Son!
» We can JOY, not because God promises to make the trial go away, but because He promises His presence and His power to endure through it all!
» This is a joy that is traced back to God’s power: it is the joy of the Lord!
8. God’s power produces joy in adversity; and at the same time, the joy of the Lord has a strengthening effect on us! The joy of the Lord is our strength! (Neh. 8:10)
a. By God’s power, He fills us with JOY. We are strengthened unto JOY… by the power of God working in us.
b. And even in the worst of circumstances, God’s power is available us to… ALL MIGHT…
c. God gives us JOY in the midst of pain… and that JOY enables us to endure… to patiently persevere… and to be longsuffering… with JOYFULNESS!
d. “Oh JOY that seekest me through pain…I cannot close my heart to thee!”
» God’s power isn’t seen today in the tongues movement, or in the phony faith healers… or in supposed miracles.
» God’s power is seen in your average Joe Christian who faces the difficulties of life with patience… with longsuffering toward difficult people… and does so with JOY… a supernatural joy that is completely unrelated to circumstances.
» Even when there’s no fruit on the vine, “yet will I rejoice; I will joy in the God of my salvation!”
» Even when Paul & and Silas were unjustly beaten, bound, and imprisoned, they made a joyful noise to the Lord in that cell.
» When the city walls were finished, and the people then looked at the overwhelming task that lay before them—rebuilding the city of Jerusalem—Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” That joy will enable you to continue.
» There isn’t any more powerful demonstration of God’s power… there isn’t any more powerful witness on earth… than the simple believer who trusts God through all the trials of life… and does so with joy—and a peace that defies understanding!
» That’s real power… that effect demonstrated in the life of the believer is strengthened in accord with the POWER of the GLORY of God!
» The one whose heart is gripped by the glory of God—like Paul and Silas in prison—will demonstrate patience and longsuffering WITH joyfulness…
9. If we are going to continue to run the race with patience… if we are going to finish our course and be faithful to the end, then we NEED the joy of the Lord.
a. This joy is our strength.
b. This joy is needed to overcome discouragements and disappointments that lay ahead.
c. Ps. 119:92 – “Unless the law had been my DELIGHTS, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”
» In times of affliction, we NEED something to delight in… we NEED a source of joy.
» The Lord is our joy and our strength.
» We need to know how to come to Him… seek His face through His Word… and allow the Word of God to BE our delight…
» If not, we too will perish—be overtaken in our afflictions.
» The human spirit can only take so much pain before it wilts… afflictions without an inner joy can ruin us… what Solomon calls “a wounded spirit.” “A wounded spirit, who can bear?
» The joy of the Lord is NEEDED to enable us to deal with affliction… and to endure…
d. This joy is needed if we are going to be able to justify in our own mind and heart living a sacrificial life… and giving up everything in order to follow Christ…
e. This joy is needed if we are going to live outside the camp… if we are going to pick up a cross to follow Christ…
f. Heb. 12:2 – it was the joy set before Him that enabled Christ to endure the cross.
» Endurance is related to joy. No joy—no endurance.
» If your Christian life is nothing but the suffering of the cross, you won’t make it—not without the JOY of resurrection and the resurrection life!
» A runner needs to keep focused on the JOY of crossing that finish line… and so do we.
» Christ set the JOY of being with His heavenly Father before His eye… and that enabled Him to endure the ultimate suffering of the cross.
» A heavenly focus will also fill our minds and hearts with joy—and the joy of the Lord will be the strength we need to keep on running till Jesus comes.
10. Let’s pray as Paul did for the Colossians—that we too would be strengthened with all might… UNTO patience and longsuffering WITH joyfulness!
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR…
» You can have this kind of power and joy in your life too…
» But first you must come to Christ in faith—and as Paul said to the Philippian jailor who asked “What must I do to be saved?—BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!”
Introduction:
1. I couldn’t have chosen a better verse to land on for Thanksgiving week!
2. However, the concept of thanksgiving wasn’t a national holiday in Colossae. It was a way of life… it was an everyday attitude… not a once-a-year celebration.
3. So while I am thankful that our country has a holiday that at least ostensibly is designed to give thanks to God (that’s a good thing!), I’m also a bit concerned that our traditional celebration of Thanksgiving might give some folks the wrong idea about the Biblical concept of thanksgiving… that Thanksgiving comes once a year!
4. Our passage in Colossian addresses that concern—
» And we could not have lighted upon this verse at a better time.
» I’d like to say it was good planning on my part… but you know better than that!
Characteristics of a Worthy Walk
A. The Context
1. Paul has been praying for the Colossian saints.
2. He prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and that they would have wisdom and discernment (vs. 9).
3. Paul also states the PURPOSE of this knowledge, wisdom and discernment: that they might walk worthy of the Lord.
a. Paul does not pray that they would be filled with knowledge and wisdom just to “look smart”… or for mere academic purposes. He is not interested in cold orthodoxy.
b. Rather, he prays that this knowledge and wisdom would become practical in their every day lives—that it would have a direct effect on their walk… that they would put the knowledge of His will to work in their lives…
c. Doctrine and knowledge should always translate into godly behavior.
4. Grammatically, the apostle connects four participles to this main verb, WALK: being fruitful, increasing, strengthened, and giving thanks.
B. The Four Present Participles
1. Being Fruitful (vs. 10) – a walk worthy of the Lord is one that bears fruit…
a. Fruit is borne in the life of a believer who is surrendered and yielded to Christ…
b. Fruit is only borne as we abide in Christ… and yield the members of our body to Him in service…
c. Being fruitful means reckoning self to be dead… and allowing the indwelling life of Christ to be manifested in and through us… that’s fruit… Christ-like character called the fruit of the Spirit.
d. God isn’t looking for mere activity and busyness… for service…done in the power of the flesh… but real fruit.
e. Present participle: a worthy walk is one that is continually bearing fruit… day by day Christ is seen in us… and glorified through us.
2. Increasing (vs. 10) – a worthy walk is one that is continually increasing.
a. Increase means “grow”… a worthy walk is characterized by continual spiritual growth…
b. We are to be constantly growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
c. A worthy walk is never content with pass progress, nor does it morbidly dwell on past failures… but desires to be continually growing nearer, still nearer to Christ… ever coming to the throne of grace… into the holy of holies with Him…
d. A worthy walk is constantly bearing fruit… and growing… increasing in fruit bearing… from 30 fold to 60 fold to 100 fold! First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear!
e. A worthy walk never stagnates, but is constantly growing… into the image of Christ… from glory to glory…
f. Even Paul realized that he had not yet attained, but he pressed on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
g. A worthy walk is continually pressing on… increasing with the increase of God… hungering and thirsting for more.
3. Strengthened (vs.11) – a worthy walk is also one that is divinely empowered.
a. It is a walk that is strengthened with ALL might!
b. It is a walk that is divinely empowered SO THAT it perseveres… patiently endures… with longsuffering and joyfulness!
c. For a walk to be worthy of the Lord Himself, it requires supernatural power… and that is exactly what God provides: the power of the resurrection!
d. We can’t lead a life worthy of the Lord on our own power. We are utter failures on our own.
e. To walk worthy of our high calling in Christ requires God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
4. Giving thanks (vs. 12) and the final participle that describes the worthy walk is giving thanks.
a. A worthy walk is one that is characterized by thankfulness.
b. Present participle indicates that this is continuous action… not just on a holiday… but every day!
c. It speaks of an ongoing attitude of thankfulness… which finds ample opportunity to openly express words of thanksgiving to the Lord.
d. A worthy walk is characterized by a thankful spirit.
e. If we have a bitter, resentful, complaining, murmuring, or ungrateful spirit, then we are not walking worthy of the Lord.
C. Thanksgiving and the Worthy Walk
1. A life that is worthy of the Lord is characterized by thankfulness. (Col. 1:12).
2. Thankfulness is fitting for a saint and a worthy walk. Eph. 5:2-4).
a. vs. 2 – Paul is talking about our WALK as a believer… it should be characterized by self sacrificing love.
b. Vs. 3 – the works of darkness have no place in our lives. We are SAINTS. That kind of behavior is not becoming a saint!
c. Vs. 4 – our walk is not to be characterized by filthiness, foolish talking or jesting… they are not FITTING…
d. But rather, the giving of THANKS. That is fitting for a saint… that is becoming… suitable… appropriate for a saint… and fitting for a worthy walk.
e. From God’s perspective, nothing could be more appropriate in our lives than thanksgiving… a thankful spirit…
f. Off colored humor and filthiness of spirit are out of place for a saint… but a thankful spirit is always appropriate!
g. Perhaps this section sounds like the people you work with at the office… filthiness; foolish jesting; etc… and sometimes they try to draw you into it.
h. A great antidote for that is for the believer to be constantly PRAISING and THANKING GOD…
i. If they hear you thanking the Lord and praising Him daily, they are less likely to tell you that off colored joke…
3. A Spirit-filled life is characterized by thankfulness (Eph. 5:18-20).
a. In this section, Paul describes the Spirit filled life by four participles too: speaking, singing, giving thanks, and submitting.
b. Just as a worthy walk is characterized by giving thanks… so too is a Spirit filled life. (No surprise—a worthy walk is a walk empowered by the Holy Spirit… ALL might)
c. When filled with the Spirit we will be thanking God ALWAYS for ALL things. WOW! That takes some power, doesn’t it!
d. We can and should be always thankful…
» And I know that some folks here have gone through some pretty painful experiences in life…
» The loss of a loved one; serious health issues; divorce; a wayward child; financial ruin…
» The worthy walk is one that is strengthened unto patient endurance through awful trials and tragedies with joyfulness…
» Even so, the worthy walk is one characterized by thankfulness—for ALL things… no matter how painful.
» Bring those painful experiences to the Lord—“in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
» Be thankful, not for the cancer or the accident—but thankful for GOD—that through it all, HE will never leave thee nor forsake thee!
» Thankful for how God can use your trial to magnify Himself… to manifest the indwelling LIFE of Christ through you… as you bear it with God’s power…
» There is no way we could be thankful for ALL things when we are occupied with self. This requires an end of self… and becoming occupied with Christ… His will… His purpose… and His glory…
» When HE becomes our all in all… when we can genuinely say, “For to me to live is Christ…” THEN we can have a thankful spirit in everything…
» That is a life FILLED with the Holy Spirit… and one that radiates with Christ.
4. A life filled with the knowledge of God’s will is characterized by thankfulness (I Thess. 5:18).
a. A worthy walk is characterized by perpetual thanksgiving: in everything!
b. Note here that this perpetual spirit of thanksgiving IS the will of God for every one of us!
c. Paul’s prayer was that the Colossians might be filled with the knowledge of His will… so that they could walk worthy of the Lord.
d. This is God’s will: a thankful, grateful heart! We make ourselves sick over God’s will sometimes: should I work here; buy this house or that; when God is concerned about our heart. THIS is His will concerning you: Be a thankful person!
e. If there is no gratitude in our hearts, we are NOT walking in His will. Period.
Thanksgiving in Colossians
A. Paul and Timothy Thanked God for the Colossian Believers (1:3)
1. He thanked God for three qualities in their lives:
a. Faith in Christ Jesus… (vs. 4) this is like being thankful that they were saved!
» We too should be constantly thanking God for the salvation of our brethren in the local assembly.
» As you go down your prayer list for the saints at church, do you just stop and thank God for saving them? Do you thank God for their faith? I hope so!
» I am so grateful for the believers in this church. I thank God daily for you… for your faith—faith that is evidenced in a worthy walk.
» I see that faith expressed day in and day out…
b. Love which ye have to all the saints (vs. 4)
» This too is something we should value—and constantly praise God for!
» This love is the fruit of the Spirit… characteristic of the worthy walk…
» We should be thankful to God for the acts of love and kindness that we see…
» Don’t just thank God for the deeds of love bestowed upon YOU (how selfish!)
» Rather, we should thank God every time we see a believer performing a deed of love regardless of who the recipient is!
» We are members of the Body of Christ. When the Body is ministered to… ALL of the members benefit from it… and should be thanking God for it.
» In the Body, we all have an influence on one another. If one member suffers, it affects us all. If one member is edified, we can all share in the encouragement of it!
» Hence, when you see an act of agape love done for any member in the Body—rejoice and thank God—just as if it were done to you personally…
» For in a round about way, we all benefit from a body that is strengthened, encouraged, and edified!
» Paul thanked God for the love that the Colossians had for each other… not just for him personally.
» Perhaps a parent could better understand this concept as we consider our kids. When you see your son showing love to his sister, isn’t that cause for thanksgiving? Even though it had nothing to do with you—you are grateful for that display of love.
» In the local church we should have the same sense of gratefulness when we see one member ministering to another.
» I thank God when I walk by the clean up list… when I come into choir practice… when I see kids going up to the nursery…
» Those are all deeds of self sacrificing love done for the good of another and the glory of God. We should ALL be thanking God for this! Daily!
» II Thess. 1:3 – Paul thanked God because their faith was growing and their love was abounding!
» Be LOOKING for such evidences of life in the brethren—and thank God for it!
» Too often we look for things to criticize. The Bible says we should look for things about which we can thank God!
» Perhaps we really ought to ask God to open our eyes that we might SEE expressions of faith and love being manifested in the saints. It is a cause of thanksgiving.
c. Hope which is laid up for you in heaven… (vs. 5)
» Here is a different expression of thanksgiving…
» Paul thanked God for the hope laid up in heaven for the believers at Colossae.
» The believers (we too!) have a marvelous hope in heaven… Christ is coming… our Blessed hope… we have an inheritance in heaven… a place is being prepared for us…
» When you see another believer in Christ… thank God that there is a substance in heaven that corresponds to his present hope… and one day he will be there.
2. We might see a believer who is a thorn in our side at times. We may have a hard time getting along with this brother… and can’t quite figure out how to handle him or her.
a. Why not start thanking God that he’s saved?
b. Thank God when you see evidence of life in him…
c. Thank God when you see him show love to others… or when you see others show love to him… and why not try to show him love yourself?
d. And thank the Lord that he has a marvelous heavenly hope.
e. We might begin to see one another from a different perspective.
f. And even if that brother rubs you the wrong way… like sandpaper… thank God that the Lord may be using him to smooth off some of YOUR rough spots… that’s what sandpaper does!
g. Don’t grumble about him… thank God for him.
h. This might change your relationship to that brother too… and his relationship to you.
i. You never know how much GOOD can come out of obeying God. Try it!
3. In Col. 1:3, Paul thanked the Lord for the Colossian believers… every last one of them.
a. Be thankful for God’s people.
b. It’s hard to hold a grudge against someone when you are praying for them daily and thanking God for them!
c. And even those believers who seem to have their funny little quirks and idiosyncrasies… be thankful for them. God can use that believer… quirks and all!
d. And about that believer who rubs you the wrong way… God is at work in him too… thank God for that.
e. Phil. 1:3-6 – Thank God and be confident that God is doing a good work in each and every believer here at Salem Bible Church. He is making us more like His Son.
f. If we love the Lord, we should be thankful for that!
g. In spite of all of our differences, what really matters is that we have the same Lord, the same faith, the same hope!
B. Walk… Abounding in Thanksgiving (2:6-7)
1. Once again Paul tells us HOW to walk:
a. AS ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him!
b. This means by FAITH… the worthy walk is a walk of faith.
c. The worthy walk of faith is also characterized by thanksgiving…
2. Here Paul states that not only are we to be thankful, but we are to be ABOUNDING in thanksgiving.
a. We all thank God sometimes… but abounding means more than “sometimes.”
b. Abounding: to be present over-abundantly or to excess; to exceed a fixed number of measure; to furnish one richly; overflow…
c. The worthy walk is a walk of faith (trusting not in our own wisdom or strength but in the Lord)… a walk that is rooted and established in the faith (not tossed to and fro)… and a walk that is abounding in thanksgiving!
d. There is a connection between faith and thanksgiving.
» As we grow and are established in THE FAITH… we come to understand more fully how COMPLETE we are in Christ.
» Finally, it begins to sink in how that we are already blessed with all spiritual blessings… already seated in the heavenlies…
» Our glorious position in Christ as redeemed ones; forgiven ones; reconciled ones; saints; indwelt; in Christ; joint heirs with Christ; possessors of the resurrection life of Christ; … and on and on it goes — as these truths begin to sink in… we are becoming ESTABLISHED in the faith… the body of Christian doctrine…
» Col. 1:12-14 – Here we are to be giving thanks for the following:
· Made meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. (vs.12)
· Delivered from the power of darkness (vs.13)
· Translated into the kingdom of His dear Son
· In Him we have redemption (vs.14)
· The forgiveness of sins
» Notice that we already HAVE each of these blessings! These are all present possessions. (3 haths and a have!)
» Each one of these is our unalterable position in Christ… nothing can ever change any one of them!
» Faith enables us to experience the reality of this in our daily lives…
» And the better we understand who we are in Christ… the more we will appreciate it. The more we grasp these truths… the more thankful we will become—naturally… automatically!
» Thanksgiving will OVERFLOW in our hearts in direct proportion to the degree to which we understand and appreciate all we have and are in Christ!
» Strong, mature, established, discerning, believers are believers who ABOUND in thanksgiving.
» The more we learn of the wonderful work of Christ on the cross… the more we learn of His marvelous grace… the more we learn of our glorious position in Him… the more thankful we will be. How could it be otherwise?
e. As believers, we should be continually growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
» We should be continually growing and increasing in our understanding of the faith – the body of Christian doctrine.
» Hence, this continual growth process allows for continual thanksgivings to God.
» When the thanksgiving stops—that means that we have stopped learning and growing and appreciating who Christ is and who we are in Him.
C. For Peace and Unity in the Body: Give Thanks (3:15)
1. God has made us members of the Body of Christ.
a. We have been taken OUT of Adam and placed IN Christ.
b. We have been organically UNITED to Christ… He is our Head…
c. We now share His LIFE. The life of the Head flows through His Body.
d. We all share the same heavenly calling…
e. In the Body, we have been made members one of another.
f. Eph. 4:4-6 – every born again person shares in this unity and calling.
g. This is an awesome calling and position. It has nothing to do with denominationalism. It has only to do with LIFE: is the person born again or not? If so, then we are one in the Spirit… and share one faith… one Lord.
h. And when this calling is PRACTICED in the local church, it is a taste of heaven on earth! The sin nature has a tendency to disrupt this peace and unity…
i. BUT—when it rules in our hearts… and it rules in the local church, we should be THANKFUL! There is nothing like it!
j. As a shepherd, I am going to do whatever I can to protect this assembly…
» endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…
» unity around the Person of Christ… as revealed in the truth of God’s Word…
k. The more we come to understand and appreciate the local church… the more thankful we will be!
l. When we see how PRECIOUS it is to God… (Bride! Body! Temple, then it should become precious to us too… and cause of great gratitude and thanksgiving.
m. We have been called into the very Body of Christ! Be ye thankful!
D. In Whatever We Do: Give Thanks (3:17)
1. Thanksgiving should accompany everything we DO… everything!
2. Actually, Paul states that everything we do or say should be done or said in the NAME of the Lord Jesus and with thanksgiving.
3. In the NAME of Christ…
a. We bear the name of Christ wherever we go… and in whatever we say or do.
b. We have been identified with Him… associated with Him… connected to Him…
c. The Head is in heaven, but the Body is on earth. We represent our heavenly Head. What we do and say is a reflection on our Head.
d. That carries with it a great responsibility… like an ambassador who represents his country.
e. That means that we should be CAREFUL about our testimony… BECAUSE we bear the name of Christ.
f. Business and companies are concerned about their name. Restaurant chains send out inspectors to inspect the restaurants that bear their name… to make sure they are living up to their name… lest they damage that name and the reputation of the chain. Even McDonalds does this! They don’t want people coming into a McDonalds and see dirty windows and poor service. Sloppiness or poor service is a bad reflection on ALL the McDonalds! It damages their reputation.
g. If they are concerned about their name, certainly the Lord’s servants ought to be concerned about God’s holy name! We bear His name in whatever we do or say. Whatever we do or say, we do in His name… and it is a reflection on HIM… hence the need for care concerning our testimony.
4. The second thing Paul states here is that in whatever we do or say, it should be done or said with THANKSGIVING.
a. If you are ashamed to thank God for it—then perhaps we shouldn’t be doing it!
» After each conversation can you say, “Thank you Lord for the opportunity to share that with this person?”
» After each video we watch, after each book we read, we should be able to say, “Thank you Lord.”
b. But if we are doing it for His glory, then we ought to be thanking Him for it…
» Thanksgiving should accompany EVERYTHING we do.
» Thanksgiving in the Bible is not a once a year holiday. It is a way of life; it is to be pervasive in the Christian life.
» God has sent us out into the world to be His witness… His representative… His ambassador. What an honor and a privilege!
» We should be thankful for such privilege.
» And as we GROW in our understanding of our purpose here on earth… AS His representatives… as those who bear His holy name… then we will also grow in thankfulness!
» A deepening of this sense of privilege and honor will deepen our sense of thanksgiving.
» Whatsoever ye do in His name—be thankful!
E. Thanksgiving in Prayer (4:2)
1. The last expression of thanksgiving in Colossians is in connection with prayer.
a. Paul exhorts the believers to continue in prayer… don’t ever stop… pray without ceasing… don’t let a day go by without prayer!
b. He exhorts us to be faithful in our prayer time…
c. The early church is our example of prayer.
» Acts 1:14 – The pre-church disciples met for prayer, both men and women and CONTINUED in one accord…
» Acts 2:42 – The early church continued steadfastly in prayer…
» It is normal for a church to meet together for corporate prayer… not just as individuals in our own prayer closets… but as an assembly!
» The early church continued steadfastly in prayer… this was not a “once in a while” occurrence.
» Prayer meeting was the norm… for men and women… and it continued faithfully. A good example for today!
2. Included in prayer was THANKSGIVING… (Col. 4:2)
a. Paul exhorts us to continue in prayer (don’t quit)… and to always include thanksgiving.
b. Phil. 4:6 – in everything by prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving…
c. Every time of prayer should include thanksgiving…
» If we just ask for things, our prayers can be quite selfish.
» Prayer should always include a time of thanking God… in everything…in good days and bad… in sickness and in health…
» Prayers should not sound like: Gimme; gimme; gimme… but rather, thank you Lord!
d. But it takes maturity to be able to genuinely thank God for difficulties and troubles in life.
» Anybody can thank God for bounty and blessings.
» Not just anybody can thank God for a flat tire… or a sickness… or an accident… or a job loss.
» But the worthy walk of Col. 1:10-12 is characterized by continually giving thanks unto the Father…
» Anybody can be joyous and thankful when the sun is shining and all is going well.
» It takes divine power to patiently endure those dark and gloomy days… with JOYFULNESS.
» It takes spiritual maturity to be able to thank God in everything.
» But for the believer who is filled with the Spirit of God will overflow with BOTH joy and thankfulness.
· Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22)
· Thanksgiving is an evidence of Spirit filling (Eph. 5:20)
· That means that thanksgiving is the NORM for the believer.
· While others grumble and complain… while others grow bitter… we should be thanking God for His goodness… His mercy is new every morning. Thank God for that. Thank Him every morning… noon and night.
Introduction:
The Inheritance of the Saints in Light
A. Inheritance
1. κλῆρος (klay-ros):
a. An object used in casting or drawing lots, which was either a pebble, or a potsherd, or a bit of wood.
b. The lots of several persons concerned, inscribed with their names, were thrown together into a vase, which was then shaken, and he whose lot fell out first upon the ground was the one chosen.
c. That which is obtained by lot, an allotted portion.
d. In the New Testament it is used of that which is given or assigned rather than won… “a portion allotted to someone.”
e. Acts 1:17 – Judas was “assigned” a portion or a lot (part) with the apostles. He was hand chosen by the Lord.
· Acts 1:26 – they cast their “lots” (same word)
f. Acts 26:18 – an inheritance (same word) of those who are sanctified… the saints. Here it has to do with our position in Christ.
2. What IS our inheritance?
a. As believers, we have a spiritual inheritance in Christ.
b. Matt. 19:29 – our inheritance includes eternal life! LIFE!
c. Heb. 6:12 – our inheritance includes all the promises of God.
d. Rom. 8:17 – we are joint-heirs with Christ!
e. Rev. 21:7 – we shall inherit ALL things!
f. I Cor. 3:21-23 – for all things are yours… already!
g. Heb. 9:15 – it is an eternal inheritance!
3. This inheritance is our PRESENT POSSESSION.
a. I Pet. 1:4 – there is a portion of our inheritance that is yet future. It is “in heaven” and reserved. When we enter into heaven, we will be able to experience this portion of our inheritance. But even now, it is OURS.
b. Eph. 1:11 – in whom we have obtained an inheritance!
» Aorist – we have already obtained this inheritance.
» In Christ we have already obtained our inheritance. (For He is in heaven… at the Father’s right hand… and we are in Him.)
» The WE (and us) in this chapter refer to Paul and ALL believers of this age. (Cf. vs. 4,5,7)
» All believers have been allotted this inheritance by virtue of the fact that we are in Christ.
» We have already obtained it. It’s ours. It is a present possession.
c. Eph. 1:3 – we have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings.
» Our inheritance includes all our possessions in Christ.
» In Christ we have already obtained ALL spiritual blessings.
» Several of those blessings are listed in Eph. 1: chosen; predestinated; accepted; redemption; forgiveness; Holy Spirit; members of His body; filled with the fullness of God; etc.
d. Eph. 1:13-14 – the Holy Spirit is the seal of our inheritance… down payment… proof…
» In Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. (vs. 13b)
» The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. (down-payment)
» The seal of the Spirit is God’s proof that this inheritance is ours… even though we cannot see it… His presence is our proof… and the down payment for our final and future inheritance in glory.
» We have obtained our inheritance. It is ours. Even the future aspect is our possession – and is already reserved for us.
» The bulk of it we are able to experience now—by faith.
» ALL of it belongs to us now. The Holy Spirit is God’s proof to us of the reality of this inheritance.
4. The inheritance is “in the light.”
a. “In the light” does not refer to the saints but with the inheritance.
» Perhaps if the expression were re-worded more closely to the way we normally speak in English, it would help.
» “The saints inheritance in the light.”
» It is our inheritance that is “in the realm of light.”
b. Light: implies several things… broad meaning…
» Knowledge; truth… (as opposed to ignorance and error)
» Goodness; purity… “unsparing holiness” – Wm. Kelly (as opposed to evil and impurity)
» Joy; blessedness… (as opposed to depression and grief)
» God is light; light is His character.
» Contrasted to Satan’s kingdom of darkness (vs.13) (as opposed to the Son’s kingdom of light)
» Our inheritance is not in this earthly, temporal, physical realm of darkness. It is in the heavenly, spiritual, eternal realm of light.
c. I Tim. 6:16 – God dwells in the light of His radiant glory; hence, our inheritance is wherever God is! (Not just earth or heaven… but wherever God is…)
» Because of God’s infinite holiness, He is unapproachable.
» Ex. 33:19-23 – No man can come into the full glory of His presence and live…
» In fact, at His Second Coming, His glory will be the destruction of His enemies. “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the GLORY of His power.” (II Thess. 1:9)
» The law always put man at a distance from God; they could NOT approach His glorious light. We have been made MEET for our inheritance in God’s light… not physically, but spiritually. We still have a mortal body that could not stand in the full blazing glory of God’s presence… but we are made MEET spiritually to enter into His presence.
» Heb. 10:19 – That is why in the book of Hebrews the Christian believer is seen doing what no Old Testament saint would even think of: entering into the holy of holies – the place where God’s Shekinah glory dwelt… that dazzling light that no man dared approach lest he die. We can enter… every day… because we have been fitted for God’s very presence! Awesome!
» We are IN Christ, who is at the Father’s right hand.
» This of course, is due to the power of the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:18-19b) (Col. 1:14).
» I John 1:7; 2:10 – it is our privilege PRESENTLY to walk in light; to abide in the light… a place of purity, truth, righteousness, holiness, joy, goodness…
» We are not trying to get there… we ARE there… we LIVE there… that is our inheritance… our glorious position in Christ… Who is in the Light…
Partakers of the Inheritance
1. Partakers: Lit: unto the portion.
a. Peter used both terms in Acts 8:21 when he rebuked Simon – “ye have neither part (partakers) nor lot (inheritance) in this matter.”
b. Simon had no inheritance in this matter—not even a portion of the inheritance!
2. The concept of a lot (portion) of an inheritance came right out of the Old Testament..
a. Num. 26:52-56 – Canaan land was given to Israel as their inheritance… and each tribe was appointed a “lot.” (an appointed portion; a part; a share)
b. Paul uses this familiar Old Testament concept to describe OUR inheritance. We too have an inheritance—and each one of us has his share in it…
c. Every believer shares in redemption, the shed blood, a place in heaven, a glorious position in Christ… heirs…
d. In the Old Testament, Israel had an earthly inheritance… our inheritance is not earthly or physical. Our inheritance is in the realm of light… holiness… a heavenly position in Christ.
e. Israel’s inheritance was in Canaan—and Israel had to enter the land and fight against the enemies and drive them out before they could lay hold of their inheritance. (Num. 33:51–54)
f. Paul uses this terminology to describe our inheritance in Christ.
3. BUT—don’t misunderstand this Old Testament type…Far too many Christians make the wrong application from the Old Testament illustration—to the detriment of their worthy walk!
a. A common view:
» Exodus pictures salvation
» Wilderness wandering pictures our earthly life
» Crossing Jordan pictures death
» Entering the Promised Land pictures heaven
b. Problems with that view:
» It sees enemies and battles in heaven! Not so! It misrepresents heaven.
» But more dangerous is the view that our Christian life is viewed as “wandering in the wilderness”—and that that is normal Christian experience.
» It is NOT the norm for the believer. Unfortunately wandering may be an accurate picture of many Christians’ lives, but it is not the norm. It should have been a short journey from the Red Sea to Canaan Land… Beulah Land!
» Most Christians today view the Christian life in just this manner: we get saved… and are thankful for salvation… and want to tell others how to be saved… but they STOP SHORT of entering into the Promised Land… into their inheritance… into God’s rest… they fail to fully enter into their heavenly blessings in Christ… they POSSESS them but they do not experience them by faith.
» Instead, they wander in the wilderness… subsiding on the earthly food… murmuring because they are not content… complaining about a lack of water… opposing God’s leaders… continually coming short of the inheritance God WANTED them to enter into… because they were afraid of the giants and refused to trust God.
» Hymn # 805 (Because He Lives)—verse 3—poor theology!
· This poor soul sees himself as fighting and struggling all through this life—no rest.
· He does not see victory till heaven.
· He doesn’t KNOW until he arrives in glory: no assurance
· Bill Gaither is not the world’s best theologian…
c. The right view of the illustration:
» Exodus = redemption in Christ.
» Israel was redeemed out of bondage to slavery in Egypt –the world. We were redeemed out of the world—and out of slavery to sin.
» Moses was their redeemer; Christ is ours.
» It was just an 11 day journey to cross the wilderness—and COULD have and SHOULD have entered into their inheritance early on… but refused to trust God.
» Wilderness wanderings = chastening… the only alternative to entering into Canaan… wander in a dry and weary land… this was NEVER intended to be the norm.
· It didn’t have to happen that way.
· They could have entered into their inheritance right away, but it was a lack of faith that resulted in them being condemned to the wilderness for 40 years.
· Unfortunately, too many believers today waste much of their Christian life wandering in a spiritual wilderness, going in circles and not going on to perfection: maturity.
· They didn’t HAVE to wander. The inheritance in the land was THEIRS. It was their possession—they simply had to walk in by faith and possess their possessions!
· The land was theirs for a long time before they finally got to experience it—a land flowing with milk and honey.
· Instead, they wandered in a dry, parched, weary wilderness—when they COULD have been and should have been enjoying the riches God promised them!
» Crossing Jordan pictures not our physical death, but our death with Christ… our old man being crucified.
· Not until we come to this point of reckoning SELF dead are we able to enter into our Canaan land.
· Before the Christian can ever enter into the full appreciation of and experience of his riches in Christ—he must come to an end of himself…
· We need to acknowledge that our old man DIED with Christ…
» Canaan does not picture heaven, but the heavenlies – our PRESENT experience of our heavenly blessings.
· Christ is in heaven and we are in Him.
· But physically, we are on earth—but are to ABIDE in Him and DWELL in our Canaan… dwelling our Beulah Land… by faith.
· We have been raised up already in Christ… and hence, the heavenlies are OURS already! That is our inheritance…
· We are joint heirs with Christ. It is glorious position in Christ.
· This is our present possession, but we only experience its riches as we abide in Him by faith, a heavenly experience is ours… now… a foretaste of glory divine!
» Entering the Promised Land pictures the believer, once redeemed, entering into BY FAITH a full experience of what he has in Christ… our inheritance in Him… entering into our REST.
» It isn’t necessary to wander spiritually for years; and waste years of our Christian life.
» We can and should enter in as soon as we get there! Pursue it… seek it… LEARN about our riches in Christ through studying the Word… and then enter in by faith… and settle in and enjoy it! LABOR to enter into His rest! Hunger after it…
» We get so occupied with seemingly innocuous things in this world… but they are actually weights HINDERING us from marching forward and going on to maturity… preventing us from appreciating our HEAVENLY riches and resting in our spiritual inheritance!
» It was natural and right for the Jews to take time on the other side of the Red Sea to sing and praise God for His deliverance… but after that initial burst of JOY, it was time to move on and enter into the Promised Land!
» It is natural and right for a new believer, having just experienced redemption to linger a while and praise God for the deliverance… but after that initial burst of JOY, time comes to move on to perfection… to grow up… to CONTINUE walking by faith… to face the foes by faith… to experience God’s power and victory… and to enter into a deep appreciation for and experience of our heavenly and spiritual inheritance in Christ… a deeper experience; grow up IN HIM.
» The worthy walk is not characterized by wandering in a dry and weary wilderness… going in circles. A worthy walk is characterized by entering into the Promised Land… resting in our riches in Christ… claiming that land by faith… and actually setting the souls of our feet upon it!
4. As Christians, we possess our inheritance already, but it is only experienced by faith.
a. When Israel marched into the Promised Land, there were enemies who opposed them… and hindered them from RESTING in the inheritance which was really theirs… God gave it to them…
b. But they had to drive out the Canaanites and break down their altars before they could enjoy it.
» So too, we as believers have a rich inheritance in Christ, but we cannot enjoy it until we drive out our enemies… sin, worldliness, self, the idolatry of covetousness…
» Before we can enjoy our rich inheritance in Christ, we need to put our enemies to death…
» Worldliness, covetousness, sin, and self will all hinder us from enjoying our riches in Christ. Those enemies MUST be put to death.
» And this is not done through our own strength or effort. This victory is ours only by FAITH.
» To experience this victory, we must come to the Cross… and by faith we RECKON self to be dead; reckon that the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world; that sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more!
» Sin, self, and the world will only BLIND us to our inheritance in the light… our true riches in Christ.
» But when we come to the cross, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!
» We have already OBTAINED our inheritance and have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings… but we often fail to enjoy them… or experience them.
» They are ours by faith.
c. It was FAITH that enabled Israel to have victory over their enemies, drive them out, and then REST in their inheritance…
» Josh. 1:2-6 – march into the land by faith; I have given it to you for an inheritance; no man shall be able to stand against you IF you walk by faith… enter the land… and trust ME for the victory.
» We too are to march into the land by faith… go on to perfection and maturity…
» BELIEVE what God said: all things are yours! No enemy has the power to withstand us when we walk by faith—no fiery dart of the enemy is able to pierce our armor…
» God gave the WHOLE land to Israel, but they only experienced it bit by bit… as their feet tread upon the ground… as they faced the foes along the way… God continued to give victory after victory… and they grew and expanded in the land.
» So too with the believer in Christ. We already have our inheritance… it is our privilege to LEARN more and more about it in God’s Word… face the foes along the way… see God give victory after victory… and march in and claim that land by faith… it’s ours!
d. In the Old Testament, Israel had an earthly inheritance. In the New Testament, we have a heavenly inheritance… a hope laid up for us in heaven… enjoyed NOW through faith.
» As Israel BELIEVED God (even though it didn’t SEEM, or feel true)… it SEEMED like they would never defeat the Canaanites… but as they believed God, God gave them victory.
» As they walked by faith, their feet marched over new land and that which was theirs by inheritance was theirs experientially. They took possession of their inheritance.
» Christ’s LIFE in us, redemption, entering into the Holy of Holies; priestly ministry; coming to the throne of grace; dwelling in God’s presence; complete in Him; accepted in the Beloved; forgiven;
» As we walk by faith, our heavenly blessings and inheritance becomes our daily experience.
» By faith, our eternal inheritance can be experienced and enjoyed… the deeper our faith, the deeper our experience.
» If you don’t really BELIEVE what God has said about our inheritance, then this is just a bunch of religious gobbledygook.
» But if you DO believe it, this is precious! This is life… and joy and peace and rest!
e. Therefore, we need not pray for God to bless us… but rather, believe that He already HAS!
» Eph. 1:17-18 – pray that God would open our eyes to SEE and experience some of our riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”
» We have a heavenly calling… a heavenly and eternal inheritance—our present possession.
» Lord, help us to know this… believe this… and experience this in our daily lives! Lord, open our eyes of faith to see!
» Don’t we often pray from an earthly perspective?
· Lord, protect me—instead of “Lord, help me to see how safe I am in thee!”
· Lord, provide for me—instead, “Lord, help me to see how rich I am in thee!”
· Lord, defeat all my foes—instead of, “Lord, thank you for defeating my foes at the cross and making me MORE than a conqueror in thee!”
· Lord, improve my earthly condition—instead of “Lord, help me to see my glorious heavenly position in thee!”
· Lord, bless me—instead of “Lord, thank you for having blessed me with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Help me to see how rich I am in Christ.
· Lord, THANK YOU that I am already a partaker in an eternal inheritance.”
Made Meet to be Partakers
A. The Term
1. Made meet: (ἱκανόω – hikan-ó-oh) – “to make sufficient, to authorize, to make fit; render fit, qualify”
a. Used only here and in II Cor. 3:6 – made us ABLE ministers of the New Covenant.
» II Cor. 3:4 – all their confidence and trust was in God.
» Vs. 5 – their sufficiency was not of self, but from God. (same term – different form…)
» Vs. 6 – it was GOD who made them ABLE (meet) ministers.
» God made them meet to be apostles. He appointed them to that position. It was not a vote of men, but the calling of God. (I wish young men thinking of going into the ministry would take this to heart!)
» It speaks of being authorized and thus qualified for a position.
» It is the LORD who does the authorizing and qualifies a man for the ministry.
» Transplant that meaning into Col. 1:12.
b. Every genuinely born again believer in Christ has been made MEET to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints.
» We all have been authorized and are thus qualified to be partakers.
» This is true of the believer who has just recently accepted Christ as Savior as well as the believer who has known Christ for many years!
» It is true of the carnal believer as well as the spiritual believer.
» EVERY believer has been made MEET to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints.
» This rich inheritance belongs to ALL of God’s saints… from the feeblest to the strongest.
c. It is the Father who makes us meet… who authorizes and qualifies us.
» We are not authorized or made meet by self effort…
» This authorization and qualification is the work of God the Father through the shed blood of Christ on the cross on our behalf.
» The Father sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sins.
» The Father makes us meet on the basis of the merit of His Beloved Son… on the righteous basis of the cross…
· Christ has delivered us (vs. 13)
· Christ provided redemption and forgiveness (vs. 14)
· THIS is the basis upon which we are made MEET.
» It is by His merit, not ours that we are able and meet to enter into he rest and rich experience of our glorious inheritance… our calling as saints.
· I stand upon His merit, I know no other stand;
· Not e’en where glory dwelleth, in Immanuel’s land.
d. Hath made us meet = the action is finished.
· This is an aorist participle: “Giving thanks to the Father, to the One who hath made us meet…”
· He is not presently “making us meet” but has already “made us meet.”
· Because Christ’s finished work on the cross is complete… we have thus been made meet… fully meet… fully. authorized and qualified to enter into our Promised Land.
· This speaks of our position, not condition… we are complete in Christ—and completely qualified and completely authorized to partake of this rich inheritance.
· Until we get it settled in our minds and hearts that we really ARE qualified, we will be afraid to enter in… perhaps we will feel it presumptuous to do so… perhaps some will (through false humility mingled with unbelief) not FEEL qualified—even though God said we ARE!
· The blessings and inheritance are all ours… but unbelief and fear and ignorance of our glorious position will KEEP us from claiming them by faith!
· Ignorance, fear, and unbelief will keep us wandering in a spiritual wilderness… afraid to take God’s hand and walk right into the land… face our foes… drive out our enemies… and settle down into the inheritance God wants us to have!
· We don’t have to FEEL meet or sufficient… authorized or qualified. We are simply to BELIEVE what God said and act accordingly…
2. When this truth becomes YOUR experience—be constantly giving thanks to the Father—for HE is the One who made us meet to be partakers of this inheritance! My Father planned it all!
3. If you are not born again… this inheritance is NOT yours… but it can be.
a. Christ died for you and paid the penalty of your sins.
b. God simply wants you to BELIEVE Him… trust in Christ and be saved TODAY.
c. John 1:12: But as many as RECEIVED Him… to them gave he power (AUTHORITY) to become the sons of God.
Introduction:
1. In this section, Paul is describing a worthy walk.
2. It is described by four participles: being fruitful, increasing, being strengthened, and giving thanks.
3. The giving of thanks is here directed to the Father…
4. The Father is being thanked because He is the One who does the following:
a. He made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. (we looked at this last week)
b. He delivered us from the power of darkness
c. He translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son
d. As believers, we have been delivered and translated!
Delivered Us from the Power of Darkness
1. The Term: ῥύομαι [rhuomai]
a. Strong’s: to draw to one’s self, to rescue, to deliver
b. Greek – English Lexicon: draw out of danger, to rescue, save, deliver
c. The term is not used frequently (Only 15 times—and ½ of those are used in quoting the Old Testament.)
d. The term itself implies danger… rescued, saved, drawn out of danger: like a person who is drowning and is drawn out of the water.
» The danger is eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire!
» The danger is that God is a consuming Fire… and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God apart from faith in Christ.
» The danger is that all men everywhere are on their way to hell unless they are born again. That’s why Jesus said, “Ye MUST be born again” to a religious man!
» The danger is that there is opportunity for a man to be saved in this life, but once this life is over—all hopes of salvation are lost forever, and that one will be cast into a literal place of torment forever.
» The danger is REAL—even though most men mock at God’s Word and joke about it.
The danger is real—and the deliverance is absolutely necessary.
2. The Subject: The Father
a. Most often Christ, God the Son, is spoken of as the One who delivered us… who rescued us from danger.
b. Christ is our Redeemer… our Savior.
c. But the Father is also our Savior… (I Tim.1:1)
d. The Father is the Author of our deliverance, for the Father planned it all.
» He chose us before the foundation of the world; He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son; He planned the work of redemption.
» Often in the Old Testament God is referred to as the “God of my salvation.”
e. The Father delivered us in the sense that He sent His Son to be our Savior. (I John 4:14)
f. God is the Savior. Only God can save.
» As sinners, we NEED a Savior.
» As sinners, we are UNABLE to save ourselves—no matter how hard we try. (Eph. 2:8-9)
» The Savior saves. We are the recipients of that salvation through FAITH… and no other way.
3. The Object of the deliverance: US!
a. Here the Father is the Deliverer… the One who rescues from danger.
b. And WE are the recipients of that deliverance.
c. “Us” = Paul and the Colossian believers—and all believers of this age.
» Us refers to the saints and brethren of faith in vs.2…
» Us refers to those who put their faith in Christ Jesus (vs. 3)
» Us refers to every believer of this age… Christians… born again believers…
d. The fact that this deliverance is focused upon this narrow object (us – a small minority) indicates that the rest of mankind is still in danger!
» We have been delivered… but THEY have not!
» That means that our friends, relatives, coworkers, and neighbors who are not born again are STILL in danger… danger of eternal condemnation!
» We have a responsibility to tell them the good news: that the same God who will one day be their Judge WANTS to be their Savior… and has provided for them to be saved…
» BUT—they need to come to Christ in faith… and be saved.
4. The Sphere of the deliverance: The Powers of Darkness.
a. Power: exousia: authority…
b. The power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed).
c. Jurisdiction, the sphere of authority (Luke 4:6; 23:7 – Herod’s jurisdiction….
d. Control – Acts 5:4 – “after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?”
» Power over; authority… (Matt. 28:18 – all power is given unto Me in heaven and earth.” – speaks of His universal authority)
» Authority to rule over – Luke 19:17 (And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”
» Power of darkness…
• This refers to Satan’s authority over this earthly realm.
• Jesus used this term to describe both the evil human forces and demonic forces that worked together at His arrest which ultimately led to His murder on the cross (?Luke 22:53?).
• Eph. 2:1-3 – the unsaved all WALK according to the world system designed by Satan.
· Their whole manner of life is part of this cleverly planned system—which leaves God out…
· The prince of the power of the air WORKS in each one (energizes). He has power and influence over the whole world system. He’s got the whole world in his evil hands!
· I John 5:19 – he is presently lulling the world to sleep spiritually.
· II Cor. 4:4 – he is the god of this world who blinds men to truth. He controls darkness… lord over that realm.
· If you can keep a people in the dark—you can exert a huge influence over them.
‣ Darkness causes men to stumble; they don’t know where they are going;
‣ But men with sinful natures LOVE the darkness because their evil deeds are not exposed.
‣ Thus men are trapped in darkness—it hinders them from knowing how to walk; but they love it… for it enables them to continue in their sin.
· Ignorance is a powerful weapon. That’s why many evil dictators seek to control the press and propaganda…and they do whatever they can to keep their people in the dark.
· Ignorance of God and His Word is one of the greatest weapons the devil has ever used!
‣ Roman Catholic Church; sermonettes;
‣ The things that God has said and done are quite surprising to the natural man. Such things would NEVER pop into his mind naturally.
‣ Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared…
‣ Paul spoke of the powers of darkness when he mentioned the “rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places” in Eph. 6:12.
‣ Satan is able to control men to a certain degree through ignorance.
· Ex: in jungle tribes of Africa and South America, Satan keeps men ignorant of God’s Word… blinded!
· Ex: in the cities of America Satan uses materialism and pseudo intellectualism to keep men in the dark about His Word… blinded!
· He also uses false teachers in church pulpits feeding the flocks with useless chaff… to confuse truth…blinded!
· He keeps the churchgoers busy with soup kitchens and political rallies… rather than getting into the light of God’s Word. (social and political rather than spiritual)… Blinded!
· The power of darkness speaks of Satan’s authority over all within that realm—every unsaved man, woman, and child on earth.
· This realm also includes a hierarchy of fallen angels: thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers of darkness.
5. Delivered OUT OF the power of darkness…
a. EK = out of the sphere…
b. It is possible to receive deliverance in a couple of different ways.
c. It is possible to be delivered from a trial by means of special strength to endure.
d. It is also possible to be delivered from a trial by being taken OUT OF that trial.
» When it comes to the power of darkness, God delivers us OUT OF that sphere. We are no longer IN that sphere. We have been removed from Satan’s sphere.
» Eph. 5: 8 – we are now children of light… positionally, we have been taken OUT OF that sphere entirely and eternally.
» This means that Satan no longer has AUTHORITY over us.
• Col. 2:14-15 – Satan and all the powers of darkness have been defeated at the cross.
• Spoiled: taken away as booty
• Triumphed over them… complete, absolute, eternal victory!
» Heb. 2:14-15 – Christ died and delivered us from Satan—who has power of death…
• Satan has the power of death in the sense that he is the author of sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.
• One of Satan’s greatest weapons against us (fear of death) has also been overcome by the resurrection of Christ! The sting of death is removed for the believer.
• Christ “destroyed” the devil (does not mean annihilate); it means to render inoperative.
• This is the same word as used in Rom. 6:6 – that the body of sin might be destroyed… SIN is rendered inoperative… by faith.
• So too our other foe: Satan and his authority over us has been rendered inoperative by faith.
• We have been delivered from his authority. We have a new master now: Christ.
• Just as the old sin nature may try to convince us that we are powerless before him—we have VICTORY as we trust God and believe what God said: we have been set free!
• We are to believe what God said about Satan too—this foe, though still alive and well, has no more power over us. He cannot FORCE us to do, say, or think anything.
• We have been delivered from his authority over our lives.
• As we walk by faith, the shield of faith will quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked One (Eph. 6:16).
» Acts 26:18 – Christ died and delivered us from… from his realm of darkness… and from his power over us.
• Those who trust in Christ have been FREED from the power of darkness! (exousia)
• And note that our inheritance is also mentioned here – the inheritance of the saints (those sanctified)
• This is the power of the gospel of God. It provides complete deliverance… from Satan… his authority over us… from his world system… and his kingdom of darkness… FREE!
• I John 2:8 – for the believer, the darkness is PAST. It’s over. We are now children of light and are to walk in the light.
» Gal. 6:14 – it is the CROSS that ends our relationship to the world and its prince, Satan.
• We DIED with Christ… we were crucified unto the world… and its prince.
• It has no more power over us… its former reign over us has ended at the cross…
• We have been set free from Satan and his system.
• We ALL once walked according to the prince of the power of the air and were “energized” by him. No more! Chains have been torn asunder!
• I was once a slave to Satan and his world system, but no more! Praise the Lord for that!
6. The Tense: Aorist –
a. This speaks of action as having already been completed…
b. Paul is not asking God to deliver them, but is thanking God because He DID deliver them.
c. Paul and the Colossian believers (and us!) have already been delivered!
d. We are not progressively being delivered. We ARE delivered! That is cause for thanksgiving!
7. The importance of this point: the Gnostics were teaching that the world was governed by an hierarchy of spirit beings, most of whom were considered evil…
a. They referred to them as thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers of darkness…
b. In this epistle Paul makes it crystal clear that believers in Christ need not fear such spirit beings.
c. 1:16-17 – Christ made them all! They are all under HIS authority.
d. 2:10 – Christ is the Head of all such powers. He is the ultimate Authority over all other lesser authorities… good and evil.
e. 2:15 – Christ utterly defeated all the powers of darkness on the cross.
f. Thus, we are IN Christ—the One who made those spirit beings (angels) and under whose authority they are.
g. The Gnostics were obsessed with these lesser authorities… angelic beings… (as are many today… esp. the charismatics – good and evil)
h. Paul presents Christ in this book as the answer to the gnostic objections.
8. The cause of thanksgiving:
a. Paul is thanking THE FATHER – the SOURCE of our deliverance… the Well of our salvation… the One who planned it all.
b. Paul is thanking the Source of our salvation because the work is FINISHED… the deliverance has been accomplished…
c. The great work of salvation that the Father planned before the foundation of the world has come to pass and Paul and the Colossian believers have appropriated it through faith…
d. The danger of a Christian being sent to hell is over forever!
e. There is therefore NOW no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…
f. It was the FATHER who planned our salvation; chose us; sent His Son; and assures us that our sin and guilt were taken away eternally by the cross, that He is fully satisfied with His Son’s work on our behalf, accepted us in His Son; that we are complete in His Son, and He assures us of our glorious position in His son… in the heavenlies in His Son and in the kingdom of His dear Son!
g. That is cause for rejoicing… cause for thanksgiving.
Translated Us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son
1. This is the third thing for which Paul thanks the Father: He translated us.
2. Translated: μεθίστημι – methist-aymi
a. To transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another. 1a of change of situation or place. 1b to remove from the office of a steward.
b. Used by Josephus of Tiglath-pileser’s removal of the Transjordan tribes into his own kingdom; a mighty king deporting a whole population of people into another kingdom. (II Kings 15:29)
3. Translated INTO the kingdom of His Dear Son
a. This states that God the Father (through the work of His Son on the cross) has completely CHANGED our status or position as believers.
» We were delivered OUT OF the kingdom of darkness and translated INTO the kingdom of God’s Dear Son.
» It was our DEATH with Christ that changed our position OUT OF the kingdom of darkness.
» It was our RESURRECTION with Christ that changes our position INTO heavenly places… and INTO the kingdom of His dear Son positionally.
» We were in Adam, but are now in Christ… who is in heaven.
» We were in Satan’s realm… in his kingdom of darkness… but are now translated out of that realm and into God’s realm of light.
» We were earthbound earth dwellers, but are now citizens of heaven.
» We were “children of the devil” but are now children of God.
» We were under the authority of the god of this world (Satan); now we are under the authority of Christ, the Lord of all!
» A REAL change took place when we were saved… because God now see us IN His Son.
b. There are two possible ways to understand this concept of being “translated” into the KINGDOM.
» If the term kingdom means the Messianic kingdom (as it normally does in the New Testament) then Paul is saying that we have been translated into that kingdom positionally… in the same sense that we have been seated in the heavenlies positionally; our citizenship is there.
» OR Paul may be using the concept of a kingdom in a slightly different sense here – meaning a “rule or authority.” That would mean that believers have been brought OUT from under the authority of Satan and placed under a NEW MASTER: Christ!
» OR, there may be some overlapping of the concepts in this sense: that because of our new position in Christ… we are also under new authority… and in that sense Christ REIGNS over us…
» What it does NOT mean is that this age IS the Kingdom and that the reign of Christ in our hearts is God’s replacement for the Messianic Kingdom. The Kingdom is future and certain.
c. As believers in Christ, we WILL share with Him in His coming Messianic reign on earth…
» Rev. 2:26-27 – Christ will share His rule over the nations with us!
» Rev. 1:6 – He has made us KINGS and priests… to rule with Him and minister in the coming Kingdom age.
» Rev. 3:21 – Christ will let us sit with Him in His throne to rule and reign with Him in the coming Kingdom!
» Rev. 20:4, 6 – we shall reign with Christ 1000 years!
» This is our future as believers in Christ. We WILL share in the reign of Christ in the coming Kingdom.
e. And we have been made meet for that kingdom ministry already!
» Col. 1:12 – we have been “made meet” to be partakers of the inheritance in the light.
» I Pet. 2:9 – we have been called OUT of darkness and INTO God’s marvelous light. A new position… suited for the kingdom of light.
» Note that part of this calling includes being a ROYAL priesthood.
» That implies that even NOW we are suited for the kingdom… royalty… awaiting our royal inheritance in the Kingdom.
» It is ours now… we have been made meet for it… because of the blood of Christ.
» In Christ, we are a ROYAL priesthood… called out of Satan’s realm of darkness… and translated into the kingdom of light.
4. This verb is a very natural adjunct to the one before it (delivered).
a. We were delivered FROM the power of darkness.
» But that was not an end in itself.
» God didn’t rescue us from Satan’s domain and release us from bondage to sin, self, and the world, just to let us run around in circles and do our own thing.
» Rather, God has a PLAN for our lives.
» He delivered us OUT of the authority of darkness SO THAT we might enter into a new realm: the kingdom or reign of His Son.
b. We have been translated INTO the kingdom of God’s Dear Son.
» We have been brought OUT of one domain so that we could enter into another… one far better!
c. We were under the power of darkness… under the tyranny of that evil realm of spiritual ignorance, unbelief, rebellion, and sin…
» But now we have been translated out of tyranny and into the sovereign and orderly reign of one characterized by His relationship to the Father’s love… the Beloved Son…
d. This transfer from one realm to another was illustrated with Israel’s redemption from bondage in Egypt.
» God brought them OUT of Egypt (slavery to Pharaoh) so that He might bring them INTO their inheritance in the Promised Land!
» They were brought out of the authority of Egypt and under the authority of God in the new theocracy which was to be established.
e. So it is with us. God has brought us OUT of our former bondage under the power or authority of darkness so that He might bring us INTO a new realm and under a new authority: the kingdom of His Dear Son… under the authority of Christ.
f. This concept is found elsewhere in Paul’s writings:
» Rom. 6:7 – freed from bondage to sin nature. The Sin nature was our previous master—an evil master or king.
» Rom. 6:12 – therefore sin shall not REIGN as king… Christ should have authority in our mortal body!
» Rom. 6:14 – sin nature is no longer to have dominion—Christ is to have dominion over us! A new Master!
» Rom. 7:4 – we have been released from all obligation to the law… not so that we can do our own thing. But rather, so that we can now submit willingly and lovingly to Christ—the Bridegroom!
» In each case, God releases us from an old relationship—not to do our own thing, but so that we might enter into something new and better…
» Just as Israel was redeemed from bondage in Egypt so that they might enter into their inheritance in the Promised Land… and just as the church has been released from the Law to enter into a new relationship to Christ… and as every believer has been set free from bondage to our sin nature—so too we have been set free from the power of darkness… SO THAT we might be translated into the kingdom or new REIGN of Christ over our lives.
5. We are citizens of heaven and royal priests for the coming Kingdom. And the blood of Christ has already equipped us for this exalted position.
a. Col. 1:12 – this is HOW God made us MEET to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints!
b. We have already been delivered out and translated into—made meet!
c. Yet we hear of believers longing for something more… longing for God to do something special to their soul—to better equip them for heaven. And that produces anxiety… and a lack of assurance.
d. God wants us to REST in His finished work and BELIEVE that we are already made meet for our inheritance!
e. The trials and afflictions and chastening in this life are designed to purify us along the way and enable us to be partakers of His holiness—but we are NOT being made meet for our eternal inheritance. We already have been made meet! Rest in that fact… We have already been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son… and raised into heavenly places in Christ. Trust God.
6. This exalted position carries with it some responsibilities!
a. Eph. 5:8 – we have been taken out of darkness and are now children of light. WALK as children of light!
b. We are not to seek to be delivered. We are to walk and behave and act as if we ARE delivered… because we are!
c. I Thess. 2:12 – That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
d. Our position and our calling should affect our walk! All this talk about positional truth isn’t just head knowledge… it isn’t merely an academic pursuit. It should be exceedingly practical too!
Introduction:
1. Vs. 9-12 – In the context, Paul described a worthy walk with four participles:
· being fruitful, increasing, being strengthened, and thanking.
2. Just after mentioning our need to be continually thanking God, Paul lists four REASONS for thanksgiving:
· delivered; translated; redeemed; and forgiven.
3. Last time we looked at vs. 13 – delivered and translated.
4. This morning we want to look at vs. 14 – redeemed and forgiven.
5. This is cause for thanksgiving for every born again believer.
Redemption Defined
1. DEFINED: ἀπολύτρωσις – redemption, ransom, release
a. From the noun lutron = a ransom price paid.
b. Ransom price: 1a paid for slaves, or prisoners of war. 1b for the ransom of life. 2 to liberate many from misery and the penalty of their sins.
» Matt. 20:28 – Jesus said that He came not to be ministered unto but that His life might be a ransom (lutron) for many…”
c. Its basic root word “luw” means to loose.
d. Hence, the ransom price paid results in a “loosing” or setting free (of the slave, prisoner of war, or to ransom a life).
2. OTHER TERMS for redemption in the New Testament
a. Agorazo = to purchase in the market place. (from agora). This is the often used, normal, everyday term for buying or purchasing anything.
b. Exagorazo = to purchase OUT OF the marketplace.
» This term adds a prefix to agorazo (ex = out of)
» Hence, it speaks of a purchase made, but also of removing that which is purchased… taking it out of the marketplace.
» This was a common term used for paying a ransom price to deliver and set free a slave.
c. Lutrow = This term for redemption (which has its root in luw and lutron) speaks of releasing upon the receipt of a ransom price paid.
d. Apolutrosis = this is the noun used in our text in Col. 1:14.
» Thayer: a releasing effected by payment of ransom, deliverances, liberation procured by the payment of a ransom.
» This term speaks of the ransom price paid, and a release.
» But it also adds a prefix meaning “away from.”
» It speaks of the ransom price paid and the deliverance away from its former relationship.
» It is used of the emancipation of slaves.
» There were 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire. Paul’s readers knew well this language of slavery.
» They understood the concept of a slave standing in the marketplace; the purchase of a slave; a change of ownership; and for those fortunate ones, who had someone who loved them enough to pay the price of redemption for them… they also understood the concept of emancipation too… set free…
» All of this is set forth in the terms Paul uses for our redemption in Christ: slaves to sin; the ransom price paid; the deliverance; emancipation… set free… perfect language to use for our great salvation in Christ.
3. SUMMARY: Putting all the terms for redemption together, a rich definition emerges:
a. A ransom price is paid
b. That which is redeemed is taken out of the market place.
c. That which is redeemed is taken away from its former relationships…
d. It speaks of being rescued; delivered from bondage; set free!
e. That which is redeemed is thus under new ownership and has entered into a new relationship.
f. Two main aspects: the price paid and the deliverance acquired.
4. Redemption is needed by all men. (Briefly…)
a. Slaves to Sin.
b. Sin’s Sentence…the curse of the Law.
c. Subject to Satanic bondage
The FREEDOM of our Redemption
A. The Law
1. The curse of the law. Gal. 3:13.
a. The curse of the law was clear: death.
b. Everyone who seeks to become religious in hopes of earning a good standing in God’s sight puts himself under the Law… and thus, unwittingly, under its curse.
c. Gal. 3:10 – The curse of death and condemnation is upon “every one that continueth NOT in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
d. The law’s curse was this: one slip and you’re condemned forever!
e. The law required perfect obedience in ALL that it said—or else the curse of the Law falls upon us: death!
f. James 2:10 – the one who tries to be good and yet fails in one point is guilty of ALL. He is a law-breaker and thus condemned.
g. Gal. 3:13 – Christ became a curse FOR US…
» For us = substitution.
» This is the good news of the gospel. The curse that we earned… that we deserved… that should have fallen on us fell on Jesus Christ instead… as our Sin Substitute.
» We deserved to die… but Christ died FOR US… in our place.
» Rom. 5:8 – when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
» God’s wrath fell on His own Beloved Son…
» God’s righteous judgment against MY sin fell upon His own Beloved Son…
» God’s justice was executed against His own Beloved Son.
» The Law’s curse—death—the wages of MY sin was death—and Christ died for me… and for you. He took the curse in my place and yours.
» The penalty for MY sin was death—the curse of the Law for my sin demanded death—and Christ died for me… and for you. O glorious substitution!
» God’s justice demanded that the curse of the Law be executed… and God manifested His love for you and for me by sending His own Beloved Son to die in our place… to be made a curse FOR US.
» This is WHY Jesus sweat as it were great drops of blood in Gethsemane… as He contemplated being made a curse for us.
» He was made SIN for us… (II Cor. 5:21)
h. In bearing the curse of sin… by dying in our place, Christ REDEEMED us from the curse.
» God is just and fair. The curse has already been paid.
» You and I can BENEFIT from Christ being made a curse through faith… by receiving Him by faith.
» Those who have received redemption IN CHRIST also have the promise that there is therefore now NO condemnation to those in Christ Jesus!
» Gal. 3:13-14 – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law SO THAT (vs. 14) we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
» The promise of the Spirit is the promise of LIFE… eternal life… the blessing God promised to Abraham is available to us Gentiles too… but only BY FAITH.
» Christ became a curse for us—but that avails us nothing UNLESS we receive Him personally through faith.
2. The bondage of the law. Gal. 4:4-5.
a. Before salvation, Israel was under bondage to the Law.
b. The emphasis in this passage is NOT on the curse of the law or its penalty. Rather, the emphasis is on OBLIGATION to the law as a rule of life.
c. Paul emphasizes here that the believer in Christ has not only been redeemed from the law’s curse and penalty… but also he has been redeemed or set free from obligation to the law!
d. The believer in Christ is NOT under the law… but has been freed from the law.
e. Even gentiles who put themselves under the Law (10 commandments) are putting themselves under the whole law.
f. Hence, religious men are putting themselves in bondage or slavery to a legal system they will NEVER be able to keep.
g. Christ redeemed us to take us OUT of such slavery… to deliver us… redeem us… set us free—once and for all!
h. We have been set free from obligation to the Law… and have been brought into a whole NEW relationship to God… the adoption of sons!
» Adoption of sons is different from regeneration or being BORN into God’s family. (salvation)
» Adoption has to do with our position before God… adopted as a FULL GROWN SON.
» Regeneration looks at our salvation as a birth—and pictures a long growth process ahead… growing into maturity.
» But adoption looks at the believer from a different perspective: our position in Christ.
» As a redeemed one… we are adopted into sonship… and hence IMMEDIATELY (every true child of God) already possesses ALL of his riches in Christ.
» God treats the believer as a FULL GROWN son… and we all possess all the privileges of sonship.
» Under the Law, Israel was treated as young children under tutors (Gal.4:2)
» In Israel as well as in ancient Roman society, there was a prescribed age when a child would formally be considered an adult—and at that time he would be accepted into adulthood and would assume the responsibilities of adulthood and the privileges of it.
» This is what Paul refers to here—the redeemed one—in God’s sight—is adopted and thus accepted as a full grown son… with full rights and privileges as such.
» Gal.4:1 – as long as a child in a wealthy house is a child, he really isn’t much different from a slave in that household. He doesn’t have access to any of the privileges, the wealth of that home… even though in time he shall inherit it all.
» As adopted sons, God treats us as full grown sons… heirs who by faith get to experience our inheritance in Christ now. God has already given us all spiritual blessings in Christ.
i. Christ has redeemed us from bondage to the law which kept Israel and those under the law in a position no different than a servant.
j. Gal. 4:7 – but now in Christ, we are redeemed—and as redeemed ones, we are no more a servant but a SON—a full grown son—with the full rights and privileges of a son… heirs of all in Christ.
k. Rom. 7:4 – freedom from obligation to the Law does NOT mean a life of lawlessness.
» We have been set free from the law SO THAT we might be married to Christ.
» This is a NEW kind of relationship that results in good fruit unto God.
» Being under the Law resulted in fruit unto death (vs. 5)
» Redeemed and set free—free to marry Christ…
» Redeemed and so happy IN JESUS! In Him is life… and freedom… free from the law of sin and death.
» Do YOU want to be free from a religious, ceremonial law that only binds and produces frustration? Come to Christ in faith. He will set you free!
B. The Present Evil World
1. Gal. 1:4 – Christ died for us SO THAT He might deliver (redeem) us from the world system.
a. The present evil world = the spirit of the age; the system masterminded by Satan.
b. Trench defines as follows: “All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale.”
c. This world system had a GRIP on every one of us prior to salvation.
d. We were held captive by the world and its evil ways… its fads, fashions, its philosophies, and trinkets.
e. “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world” (I John 2:16).
f. God rescued us from the world at a great price — His own Son! Christ died to deliver us OUT OF the present evil age.
» We were held captive to this evil age and Christ died to set us free!
» He didn’t redeem us so that we could then go BACK to the world and its ways!
» He redeemed us that we might be DIFFERENT from the world… and separate from the world.
» He redeemed us that we might be HIS.
g. Eph. 2:2-3 – we ALL walked according to the course of this world.
» As we did, Satan WORKED IN each one of us (energew)…
» There was Satanic influence operating in the world… and that influence kept us blind to spiritual reality and truth…
» It was a selfish, self-centered life—seeking to fulfill and gratify all the desires of our flesh and mind.
» And because of that, we were children of wrath. God’s wrath justly abode above each of our heads.
» It was a broad road to destruction, but one which held us captive… captive to a system that fanned the flames of our own lusts and selfish desires.
» Every one on that road was blind—and also spiritually dead in his sins (vs.1).
» That’s the road we ALL traveled before being redeemed. Perhaps some here today are still on that road. If so, you NEED to be redeemed.
» The world system is a system of slavery to its evil ways. It woos us back… but we don’t HAVE to return to that awful slavery.
» Remember when Israel was redeemed from bondage to slavery in Egypt? After a few trials in the wilderness, they wanted to RETURN to Egypt. They FORGOT what awful bondage was there… and that whole generation DIED in the wilderness.
» What a lesson for us: don’t ever forget the bondage that life in the world really is. PITY those believers who have been deceived and have returned! Rescue the perishing!
2. A Vain manner of life in the world. 1Pet. 1:18.
a. Peter tells us that we were also redeemed from a “vain conversation” = an empty way of life.
b. I Pet. 4:3 – we USED to walk like them… but God rescued us from that VAIN and empty way of life.
» The world might THINK it is great fun and that their life is full—but it is really EMPTY compared to what they are missing in Christ!
» Since they have never experienced the abundant life in Christ, they have nothing of substance to compare it too. That vain life is all they know.
c. But those redeemed KNOW experientially how BLESSED and abundant is our new life in Christ.
d. The life of the Christian is NOT boring as the world imagines, but it is full… satisfied… content… a purged conscience… and rest for the soul!
e. Redemption means that a life of emptiness is over… replaced with something much better! Redeemed and so happy in Jesus! No language my rapture can tell!
f. I have known the emptiness of life in this world—and I now know the fullness and abundance of new life in Christ. Blessed redemption!
g. “All my life long I had panted for a draft from some cool spring; that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah I have found HIM whom my soul so long has craved!”
h. HE is not far from every one of us… and He, the Lord Jesus Christ invites you to come to Him in faith: come unto ME all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your soul!
i. Redemption delivers us from the present evil age and from a vain manner of life.
C. The Slavery of Sin.
1. Rom. 6:20-21 – we WERE slaves to sin – the sin nature.
a. We were slaves to the lusts and desires of the flesh and mind.
b. When we fulfilled those lusts we THOUGHT we were doing our own thing… that we were our own boss.
c. Actually, Paul says by fulfilling those lusts, we were demonstrating that we were servants or slaves to those desires. (lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes; pride of life)
d. We were all slaves of sin at one time. The particular sins we were beguiled by may have differed, but in this sense we were all the same: unwitting and unwilling slaves!
e. The only freedom we really had was freedom from righteousness!
f. Sin at one time had DOMINION over us!
2. Rom. 6:18, 22 — freedom from sin and self —
a. Because of our Redeemer and His work on the cross, He has procured FREEDOM for us through faith.
b. Christ died to redeem us — not only from sin’s penalty—but also to redeem us from sin’s power!
c. Our old man WAS a slave of sin, but God put that old man to death! (Rom. 6:6) SO THAT we should no longer SERVE sin as a slave!
d. Rom. 6:7 – because we died with Him, we are FREE from sin!
e. Chains have been torn asunder, setting our spirit free!
f. God saved us once and for all—and God has already provided all we need to LIVE A LIFE in freedom from sin!
g. Yet sometimes we ACT as if we were NOT free.
» Some believers live as if they were still enslaved to a loose tongue…
» Some act as if they were enslaved to alcohol or drugs…
» Some acts as if they were enslaved to sexual sins…
» And they have tried and tried to experience freedom only to fail repeatedly…
» Failure CAN be good—IF it brings us to the place where we cry out, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me…!?”
» Then, at the end of our own resources, we reach out in faith to Christ—who DELIGHTS in lifting us up out of the miry clay…
» When we are weak, then are we strong. Admit your weakness. Admit your NEED of God’s power. Admit that you are unable to redeem yourself from the power and grip sin has in your life… and THEN and only then will you begin to experience the power of God—and the deliverance from the power of sin!
h. We are no longer servants of sin unto death, but now we are servants of God unto righteousness… and the end of this road is everlasting life!
i. We deserve death, but because of God’s great grace, we receive eternal life! An abundant life… a life of liberty and freedom from sin. Blessed redemption!
j. Freedom and deliverance from the power of sin requires the cross just as much as deliverance from the penalty of sin.
k. It is completely beyond our ability and beyond our grasp on our own… but when we acknowledge that… and lean not on our own strength or wisdom… and learn to lean on the might hand of God in faith—He holds us up.
3. All iniquity. Titus 2:14 —
a. Note that Paul here states that Christ died to redeem us from ALL iniquity.
b. There is no sin so powerful that Christ cannot give us deliverance.
c. Sometimes believers who are ensnared in a sin for a long time see their plight as hopeless—as well it is on our own.
d. But nothing is too hard for the Lord. In fact, nothing is even HARD for the Lord!
e. If we will but choose to trust in Him—He will give us deliverance from ALL iniquity—even your besetting sin.
f. He redeemed us to take us OUT OF the world… and to take the world OUT OF us…
g. He redeemed us to save us AND to purify us a people UNTO Himself.
h. Just get out of the way and let God take charge of your life! What great things He desires to do—to replace the man we were in Adam (sp. Dead; slave to sin; sinful; wretched) and replace that old image with the image of His dear Son! The indwelling Christ and His life and character to be manifested in our mortal bodies!
i. What glories are ours in Christ—as those redeemed—and so HAPPY in Jesus!
j. God didn’t redeem us to let us wander in the wilderness. He redeemed us to bring us into the Promised Land… to give us VICTORY over our foes… over sin, Satan, the powers of darkness, the flesh, over all iniquity… and to bring us into the kingdom and freedom of His dear Son!
Introduction:
1. This passage is part of Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving:
a. Because God has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints.
b. Because God has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.
c. Because we have received redemption in Christ.
d. Because we have the forgiveness of sins.
2. This is great cause for thanksgiving… and is the topic of our lesson for this morning.
Forgiveness of Sins and Redemption
1. Forgiveness of sins stands in apposition to redemption.
a. It is like saying that forgiveness of sins is the essence of redemption… the central feature of it…
b. Redemption and forgiveness go hand in hand.
c. To be forgiven is to be redeemed; to be redeemed is to be forgiven. You can’t have one without the other.
2. Redemption Defined
a. A ransom price is paid
b. That which is redeemed is taken out of the market place.
c. That which is redeemed is taken away from its former relationships…
d. It speaks of being rescued; delivered from bondage; set free!
e. That which is redeemed is thus under new ownership and has entered into a new relationship.
f. Two main aspects: the price paid and the deliverance acquired.
3. The blood of Christ that purchased our redemption (ransom price paid) also provided forgiveness of sins.
a. It is BECAUSE our sins are forgiven that we are redeemed; delivered; set free; and under new ownership.
b. The one who puts his faith in Jesus Christ receives a salvation package… which includes both: redemption and forgiveness of sins.
c. He is washed in the blood—cleansed—forgiven — and thus delivered from sin, self, and condemnation!
Forgiveness of Sins and our Position in Christ
1. IN WHOM speaks of our Christ and our POSITION in Christ.
a. The antecedent of “whom” is “His dear Son” in vs.13.
b. The Colossian believers (and us!) are seen as being “In Christ”… in God’s dear Son.
2. Redemption and forgiveness are seen here as related to our having been placed into a vital union with Christ… by means of Spirit baptism.
a. By faith, we have been brought into a living union with the Son of God… the risen, glorified Savior at God’s right hand.
b. The moment we place our faith in Christ, God the Holy Spirit immerses (baptizes) us INTO the Body of Christ…
c. We are “In Him” … who is in heavenly places.
d. In Him, we are blessed with ALL spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3).
e. Among those many spiritual blessings are redemption and forgiveness! (Eph. 1:7 – a parallel passage).
f. In Him we receive ALL the spiritual benefits of the cross.
3. In Him, we HAVE redemption… even forgiveness.
a. Not we hope to obtain some day, but we presently possess both redemption and forgiveness!
b. This brings assurance and the JOY of salvation to the heart of the believer who KNOWS these things.
c. Because we are in Him, we Have REDEMPTION.
d. I Cor. 1:30 – “But of Him are ye IN CHRIST JESUS who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
4. Paul’s point in Colossians – to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in every way.
a. Actually, this section in Colossians is not really about our salvation, but is about our Savior! It is not about our redemption, but is about our Redeemer!
b. Whatever we have, it is because of our union with HIM.
c. Whatever we have, it is because of HIS work on the cross.
d. In HIM we have redemption; HE is the image of the invisible God (vs.15); by HIM were all things created (vs.16); HE is before all things and by HIM all things consist (vs.17); HE is the head of the body (vs.18) that in all things HE might have the preeminence!
e. So as we look at the wonders of forgiveness of sins—our eyes should remain on Christ our Savior; Redeemer; Friend!
Forgiveness of Sins Defined
1. The term: ἄφεσις aphesis; a sending away; to send off; to hurl; dismissal, release, pardon: — forgiveness;
a. This term is used of prisoners set free from prison.
b. This term is the term used to describe the concept of “divorce” in I Cor. 7:11 – a husband “putting away” his wife.
c. But when used in the noun form as in Col. 1:14 – it always refers to forgiveness of sins…
d. It speaks of the fact that sins forgiven are SENT AWAY! Gone! Forever gone!
2. This concept is attested to in various illustrations describing the forgiveness of sins.
a. Isa. 38:17 – our sins are cast behind His back.
b. Isa. 43:25 – sins are blotted out and remembered no more.
c. Micah 7:18-19 – cast our sins in the depth of the sea.
d. Psalm 103:12 – as far as the east is from the west…
e. Lev. 16:21-22 – the scapegoat released into the wilderness, never to return.
3. Lev. 4:8-12 – speaks of the place where the ashes of the offering are poured out.
a. This offering pictures our sin and guilt placed on the animal sacrifice and burned to ashes.
b. The ashes are then taken outside the camp and poured out.
c. The ashes tell us that the fire of judgment has done its work… and the work is finished… the sacrifice was completely consumed and turned to ashes.
d. This illustrates for us that God’s wrath and judgment has been fully spent… finished.
e. The shame, disgrace, guilt, and humiliation of our sin was completely CONSUMED by the fiery wrath of God at the cross…
f. A fire is only satisfied when the fuel is completely consumed. God’s wrath against sin was satisfied at the cross—His fiery wrath fell upon His own Beloved Son as He bore our sins… and there is nothing left to burn.
g. Nothing is left but ashes… not even any embers.
h. You can stir up embers and make them glow in fire again, but not ashes. They are completely spent… they cannot be burned… the fire has already done its job fully.
i. So too on Calvary—our sin and guilt was placed on Christ and He bore it entirely, eternally, and completely.
j. God’s wrath toward our sin is completely spent… and cannot be stirred up again. Utterly spent… burned out… finished. Hallelujah!
k. This pictures that sin is GONE… there is nothing left to consume… God’s justice and wrath has been fully executed and is FINISHED…
l. And this all points ahead to the cross—where the work of bearing our sin and guilt was finished in the ONE perfect sacrifice of Christ.
4. Col. 1:14 states that the Colossian believers were FORGIVEN!
a. They were sinners…
» Col. 1:21 – alienated and enemies by wicked works!
» Col. 2:13 – dead in sins.
» Col. 3:8-9 – they committed sins such as these!
» They were sinners just like we are sinners.
b. But they were sinners saved by grace… forgiven…
» If you have received Christ as your Savior, God cast your sins behind His back; to the depth of the sea; blotted out; remembered no more…nothing left but ashes…
» My sin O the bliss of this glorious thought; my sin not in part but the whole; is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul!
c. God forgives our sins and remembers them no more. (Heb. 10:18)
» This does NOT mean that God literally “forgets.” He is omniscient.
» God never learns anything; nor does He ever forget. His understanding is infinite. Nothing ever slips His mind.
» This is an anthropomorphism – putting a concept relating to God in human terms that we might understand…
» God forgets in the sense that He BEHAVES as if He forgot…
» God CHOOSES to NEVER bring up our sin again—ever!
» It is buried… gone… never to be dug up and rubbed in our faces… aren’t you glad?!
» When sin is forgiven, God never holds it against us; He doesn’t treat us as second class citizens; He doesn’t see us as perpetually stained by that sin; it’s as if it never happened;
5. When a sinner comes to God in faith… God grants forgiveness of sins. All of them!
a. The same is true of the Christian who has sinned—and comes to God in repentant faith—confessing his sin.
b. God grants forgiveness… complete forgiveness… no strings attached. That sin is GONE… sent away.
c. Let’s admit it: we’ve all failed the Lord. At times we have all sinned, and sinned grievously.
d. Perhaps it was something cruel you said to your spouse or your child… and the guilt eats away at you—for you know you can’t take it back…
e. Perhaps it was some awful offense against a brother… that has caused you much shame…
f. Perhaps it was an act of lust… or greed… or pride… foul language…cheating… lying… slander…
g. Perhaps it was stealing… drinking… adultery… divorce… drugs… sexual sins… sins of violence…
h. It’s hard to believe that God would simply GRANT us forgiveness. Surely there is some kind of suffering that I must endure… some sort of penance to pay…
i. It seems too easy to say that all we have to do is CONFESS our sins and He will forgive us…
j. If you think for one moment that God is treating our sin lightly… then take a long hard look at the cross… where ALL of our sin was laid on Christ… where He became sin for us… where Christ bore the full weight and fury of divine wrath against sin… where my guilt, shame, and condemnation fell upon Him… and He WILLINGLY bore it… for me… for you…
Forgiveness of Sins and the Blood of Christ
1. Redeemed THROUGH His blood.
a. Through His blood = dia = preposition of intermediate agency.
b. God redeemed us and the agency He used in our redemption was the precious blood of Christ.
c. The blood of Christ is the only GROUND upon which sins can be forgiven. Nothing less, nothing else could ever suffice.
2. Nothing but the blood of Christ can set us free!
a. Heb. 10:1-4 – the law with its animal sacrifices could NEVER take away sin.
» The law could provide atonement—a temporary covering up of sin… lasting only 12 months… and then needed to be repeated… because it was not effective in REMOVING sin.
» The law required continual sacrifices—because none of them could send our sins away permanently.
» There was always a remembrance of sin…
» And thus, the conscience was never settled on this issue… no real REST for your soul.
» Why? Because deep down inside they all knew that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin… they knew that their sin was not sent away…
» But when Christ came, He DID take away sin (John 1:29 – Behold the Lamb of God…)
» I Pet. 1:18-19 – we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ…
» Heb. 10:18 – where (forgiveness) is there is no more offering for sin. Hence, REST… the continual offerings have ceased…
» The law with all of its religious offerings could never take away sin; and could never purge the conscience; and thus could never offer rest to the soul.
» The law was but a shadow… Christ—the Substance has come!
b. “A shadow of a key cannot set a prisoner free. A shadow of a meal cannot satisfy the hungry. A shadow of Christ (Law; sacrifices) cannot redeem.”
c. But Christ died on the cross, shed His blood… and offered ONE sacrifice for sin that COULD provide redemption and forgiveness of sins…
d. To those who were heavy laden and burdened under the endless, frustrating system of religious works… Christ offered REST… the work is finished… at the cross.
e. Not until a person sees clearly that the work of salvation is FINISHED at Calvary can he or she enter into God’s rest… and by faith REST upon that finished work… and come to realize that there is NOTHING for the sinner to DO but believe… believe that the work is DONE…
f. As long as we think that there is something left for us to DO… we are not believing that the work is done.
g. Faith BELIEVES that what Christ did on the cross was sufficient to save us forever… and that His shed blood ENDED all religious sacrifices for sin… only then can he CEASE from all his dead works… and TRUST in one sacrifice of Christ.
h. Do you see that friend? Have you come to see how there is nothing YOU could do to earn your way into God’s presence?
i. Have you come to BELIEVE that Christ died and rose again for YOU… and left YOU with nothing to do but believe… receive Christ by faith? Then trust in Him today!
3. Ultimately, it is the blood of Christ that brings rest to our soul and joy to our hearts.
a. There is no rest to our soul until we see clearly the blood of Christ as the GROUND of our redemption and forgiveness.
b. The JOY of our salvation and the REST of our soul is dependent upon our understanding of this truth and our belief in it.
c. Vague thoughts about God’s love or mercy will not suffice.
» It is not the love of God that purges our guilty conscience and brings rest to our soul. It is the JUSTICE of God that does.
» Such vagaries about God’s love leave men with the impression that God overlooks sin because of His mercy. Not so. He spared not His Son!
» It is the justice of God that demanded that the penalty of our sin be paid in full… and that His wrath against sin be executed fully… and that He as a just Judge be fully SATISFIED with that judgment…
» God’s outraged holiness and justice could be satisfied with nothing less than the precious blood of His own Beloved Son – the God-Man who could offer a sacrifice of infinite value.
» Nothing less would suffice.
» And if the blood of Christ was enough to satisfy the Father’s justice, it should be enough to satisfy our conscience and put the sin issue to rest once and for all!
» There is nothing in ourselves that could ever satisfy divine justice—nothing but the blood of Jesus!
d. The blood of Christ is the ONLY ground upon which sin could ever be forgiven.
» Christ’s blood took away all my sins committed before I was saved.
» Christ’s blood takes away all present sins… and even those sins I will commit in the future.
» Actually, ALL of our sins were future from God’s perspective when Christ died to pay for them.
» TO God time is nothing. All of our sins (past, present, and future) were before God’s eye when He dealt with them in perfect justice at Calvary.
» There they were ALL nailed to the tree and I bear them no more! There God’s fiery wrath against sin burned in infinite zeal… and turned them all to ashes… GONE!
» And it is all because of this ONE SACRIFICE that was all-sufficient.
4. Until the divine method of dealing with sin is understood and believed, there is no rest; no peace of God; just anxiety.
a. God’s method of dealing with our sin is the cross: where His own beloved Son died… He gave His life… and shed His blood as a sacrifice for sin…
b. There on the cross, Divine justice was satisfied; wrath burned in fiery fury against sin; there Satan our accuser was forever silenced; there were our sins removed as far as the east is from the west…
c. And not until that is understood and believed will the previously guilty conscience ever be purged; and will rest enter our souls.
d. Rom. 15:13 – there is joy and peace in believing…
5. Forgiveness of sins—justification from all sins brings joy and peace with God. (Rom. 5:1)
a. And KNOWING this fact brings assurance and thus the peace OF God… peace in our heart.
b. The JOY of salvation is related to our ASSURANCE of salvation… KNOWING that our sins are forgiven. (As Jesus said to the man He healed of palsy: Son be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee!)
c. It is not presumptuous of to KNOW that our sins are forgiven. Col. 1:14 states that we HAVE redemption—even the forgiveness of sins!
d. Rom. 4:6-8 – There is a BLESSEDNESS (happiness) that comes from being forgiven… washed… cleansed…
» When it finally sinks in that those in Christ are really forgiven forever—the burden, guilt, and shame of sin is replaced with a pure joy… there is an elation that comes from being cleansed… and knowing it!
» Sin and shame weigh heavy on a guilt ridden conscience… and there is nothing like the joy of having guilt removed
e. The joy of forgiveness is also related to our understanding of the DEPTH of our sin…
» The sinner who does not understand how wicked is his heart… deceitful above all things and desperately wicked… incurably sick…that out of his heart flows all kinds of sins… the one who does not see the exceeding sinfulness of his own sinful heart will NEVER experience the full depth of joy that is ours through forgiveness.
» It is by FAITH that we experience the depth of this divine joy… and it is by FAITH we understand how sinful we are in God’s sight…
» It is only as we understand what a wretch we are before God that we can fully appreciate His amazing grace that saved us from sin and self…
» To the degree that we know this—we will experience the BLESSEDNESS David described.
» A shallow concept of our sinfulness breeds a shallow concept of forgiveness… and a shallow experience of the joy and blessedness of forgiveness.
» BUT—as we GROW in the Lord and learn OUR sin to be exceedingly sinful (not just Judas’ sin or Ahab’s!)… our concept of sin deepens… and so does our appreciation for forgiveness… and a deeper appreciation for the price paid at Calvary… and THEN a deeper experience of this joy!
6. Redemption, even the forgiveness of sins is offered to each one of us sitting here today…
a. Acts 10:43 – remission of sins (same word as forgiveness).
b. Forgiveness of sins is available to the whole world—but is only experienced by those who put their FAITH in Christ Jesus.
c. Whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall receive forgiveness of sins! And the blessedness that goes along with being forgiven… cleansed… washed…
d. Acts 10:38-39 – the forgiveness of sins is preached when Christ is preached—and it is available to all who believe… forgiveness of sins and justification from all condemnation!
e. Have you trusted in Christ as your personal Savior? Why not do so today?
Forgiveness of Sins and Fitness
A. Redeemed and Forgiven: MEET to be partakers!
1. Made meet: (iκανοω) – “to make sufficient, to authorize, to make fit; render fit, qualify”
a. Used only here and in II Cor. 3:6 – made us ABLE ministers of the New Covenant.
» II Cor. 3:4 – all their confidence and trust was in God.
» Vs. 5 – their sufficiency was not of self, but from God. (same term – different form…)
» Vs. 6 – it was GOD who made them ABLE (meet) ministers.
» God made them meet to be apostles. He appointed them to that position. It was not a vote of men, but the calling of God. (I wish young men thinking of going into the ministry would take this to heart!)
» It speaks of being authorized and thus qualified for a position.
» It is the LORD who does the authorizing and qualifies a man for the ministry.
» Transplant that meaning into Col. 1:12.
b. Every genuinely born again believer in Christ has been made MEET to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints.
» We all have been authorized and are thus qualified to be partakers.
» This is true of the believer who has just recently accepted Christ as Savior as well as the believer who has known Christ for many years!
» It is true of the carnal believer as well as the spiritual believer.
» EVERY believer has been made MEET to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints.
» This rich inheritance belongs to ALL of God’s saints… from the feeblest to the strongest.
c. It is the Father who makes us meet… who authorizes and qualifies us.
» We are not authorized or made meet by self effort…
» This authorization and qualification is the work of God the Father through the shed blood of Christ on the cross on our behalf.
» The Father sent His Son to be the propitiation of our sins.
» The Father makes us meet on the basis of the merit of His Beloved Son… on the righteous basis of the cross…
» Christ has delivered us (vs. 13)
» Christ provided redemption and forgiveness (vs. 14)
» THIS is the basis upon which we are made MEET.
» It is by His merit, not ours that we are able and meet to enter into the rest and rich experience of our glorious inheritance… our calling as saints.
» I stand upon His merit, I know no other stand;
» Not e’en where glory dwelleth, in Immanuel’s land.
d. Hath made us meet = the action is finished.
» This is an aorist participle: “Giving thanks to the Father, to the One who hath made us meet…”
» He is not presently “making us meet” but has already “made us meet.”
» Because Christ’s finished work on the cross is complete… we have thus been made meet… fully meet… fully authorized and qualified to enter into our Promised Land.
» This speaks of our position, not condition… we are complete in Christ—and completely qualified and completely authorized to partake of this rich inheritance.
» Until we get it settled in our minds and hearts that we really ARE qualified, we will be afraid to enter in… perhaps we will feel it presumptuous to do so… perhaps some will (through false humility mingled with unbelief) not FEEL qualified—even though God said we ARE!
» The blessings and inheritance are all ours… but unbelief and fear and ignorance of our glorious position will KEEP us from claiming them by faith!
» Ignorance, fear, and unbelief will keep us wandering in a spiritual wilderness… afraid to take God’s hand and walk right into the land… face our foes… drive out our enemies… and settle down into the inheritance God wants us to have!
» We don’t have to FEEL meet or sufficient… authorized or qualified. We are simply to BELIEVE what God said and act accordingly…
Sanctification makes us meet
Acts 20:32 – among them that are sanctified
Acts 26:28 – sanctified
Jude 1:1 – sanctified and preserved
Positional sanctification—Hebrews style… not progressive sanctification.
I Cor. 1:30 – Christ is our sanctification. We are in Him.
Col. 2:10 – complete in Him… we are meet IN Him…
Justification makes us meet
I Cor. 6:9-10 – only the righteous inherit
Eph. 5:5 – only the righteous… justified by faith
Gal. 5:21 – those who prove by their lifestyle that they are justified
Regeneration makes us meet
Rom. 8:17 – IF children (born again ones) THEN heirs.
The Father leaves this inheritance to ALL of His children… not to an elite few… as some are saying today.
We have been made “meet” for God’s presence because we have been raised from the dead, spiritually. (Eph. 2:6)
Rev. 5:9-10 – We have been made kings and priests to reign with Christ on earth.
Glorification will ultimately make us meet
Rom. 8:30 – all those sanctified will be glorified.
Rom. 5:12, 17-18 – We inherited darkness, ruin, condemnation, and death from Adam… because of our identification with the first Adam. We inherit light, salvation, glory, and LIFE from the Second Adam.
Salvation makes us FIT for light. We have been fit for heaven itself!
» Unbelievers are uncomfortable in light.
» Believers love it.
» Hence, worship that is Christ exalting, reverend, spiritual, in spirit and in truth, is a delight to the one who has been made FIT for it.
» For those who have not been fitted for it—it is a pain in the neck… a bore… a chore… and hence, church needs to get spiced up…
» Those unfit for spiritual worship demand that which is carnal… and soulish…
» Those unfit for Christ-exalting ministry demand ministries that cater to the self life… (self help courses; touchy-feely ministries)
» Those unfit for light will find reverence in worship boring and will want to make it entertaining… and just CALL it worship…
» Those unfit for the light will not be valiant for the light… the truth… but will tolerate other points of view… they will want to turn the light down a bit… to make it more comfortable. Light is blinding to those in darkness… or those attracted to darkness.
» But those who have been made meet for an inheritance in light will LOVE the light… and come to the light… walk in the light and worship in the light… and will want no darkness at all.
» It is impossible to appreciate the light unless one has been made FIT for it.
Introduction:
1. The book of Colossians is a book that exalts the Person of Jesus Christ.
2. It does so for a reason:
a. First of all—because He is worthy! Worthy is the Lamb!
b. But in context, Christ is exalted in order to combat a heresy that had reared its ugly head in this region: a seed form of Gnosticism.
3. The false teachers in taught that matter was evil and the spirit world was good.
a. They believed that matter was evil—the whole earthly, physical realm was evil and that contact with it was defiling.
b. This was the underlying principle… but two polar opposite practices grew out of this principle:
» Since matter was considered evil, one group became ascetic—and tried to avoid all contact with the world and physical things. (touch not; taste not; handle not)
» Another group arose which took the opposite view: hedonism. They believed that since matter was evil—and we live in the evil realm. There is therefore no escaping it in this life… therefore, we might as well live it up… and indulge in every form of sin imaginable.
» Both groups were equally wrong… and both practices are exposed and rebuked in this epistle.
4. Another ramification of this philosophy that matter is evil had to do with the PERSON of Jesus Christ.
a. These false teachers denied His true humanity.
b. They argued that if Jesus was good He must be a spirit being; if He had a physical body, He would be evil.
c. They believed that Jesus was a spirit being… an emanation from God—a sort of demi-god… half god; half angel or spirit.
d. Thus, Paul had to deal with the issue of angel worship… the root problem of which is a wrong concept of who Christ is.
5. This heresy also affected the doctrine of salvation.
a. They also tried to put believers under some of the ceremonial laws of Judaism… Jewish dietary laws. (touch not; taste not; handle not)
b. They also taught that the gospel was not enough. A special mystical “knowledge” was required.
6. Paul addresses each part of this heresy in the epistle to the Colossians.
a. His method of dealing with this heresy is primarily to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ… in every way.
b. He demonstrates that Christ IS the fullness of the Godhead BODILY… that He is the God-Man… the all sufficient One… He nailed the law to the cross… and that no secret knowledge beyond Christ and the gospel is needed: In HIM are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!
c. Look no farther than Christ.
The Invisible God
1. I Tim. 1:17 – God is invisible.
2. I Tim. 6:16 – God dwells in a light no man can approach to; and no man can see.
a. John 4:24 – God is a spirit.
b. Luke 24:39 – a Spirit does not have flesh and blood
c. Heb. 11:27 – by faith, Moses was able to “see” the invisible God. He is seen only by the eyes of faith.
3. Everything about God is above and beyond us.
a. Isa. 55:8-9 – His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts.
b. He is in heaven; we are on earth; He is infinite, we are finite.
c. He is invisible and immaterial, and we live in a visible, material world.
d. He could never be found in a space ship or a microscope…
e. He cannot be known by the physical world… only His existence and power.
f. I Cor. 2:9 – eye hath not seen; nor ear heard; neither have entered into the heart (mind) of man… things about God. If we are to know ANYTHING about God—it must be revealed to us. Knowledge of God could never be obtained through natural means…
g. Even His basic attributes are beyond our ability to grasp: omniscient; omnipresent; omnipotent; eternal; transcends time as the Great I Am…
h. God is invisible.
4. This is what has caused men throughout the ages to turn to idolatry…
a. God has stated many times over in the Old Testament that He is invisible… no man can see Him and live.
b. Yet, through the ages, men have attempted to MAKE God visible… by means of some sort of idol or image in His likeness.
c. Ex. 20:1-5 – God emphatically warned Israel NOT to make any likeness of Him. He is jealous.
d. Any attempt would always be a gross distortion of who He is…a degradation of His Person… a hideous caricature… even if painted by a master artist like Michelangelo…or formed by a master sculptor.
e. God commanded them NOT to make any image of Him—for the very best attempt to make His image or likeness would be a lie.
» Why? Because God IS invisible! Any attempt of man to make Him visible is a lie. It is NOT like God… who is invisible.
» God is omnipresent—not limited spatially—as any image would naturally be.
» God is omniscient—even a likeness with a computer for a brain would be a gross insult to God.
» God is LIVING—no man-made likeness could ever have life… eternal life…
» Isa. 46:5-10 – To what could we ever liken Him?
f. No image could ever suffice to adequately represent God.
» God is invisible, and men don’t like that. They want a god they can see…
» They prefer one that looks like them… not to big… not too powerful… one that can be stored away on a shelf for when you need it… one made in the image of man… (rather than vice versa!)
» Rom. 1:23 – (same word – eikon – image)—man changed the glory of God into an image made like to corruptible man.
» Man really is incurably religious. There is deep in the human breast a longing for God.
» Yet sinful man does not want God as He has revealed Himself: invisible. Sinful men want a god made after their degraded image… a god who is more like a creature.
» Hence, religious men worldwide make idols, icons, and images of one sort or another…
» There is something unnerving about an invisible God; an omniscient God; an omnipresent God… from whom we can never escape…
» And thus men make a visible god…an image of God… an idol of one sort or another… in hopes of satisfying that inner longing…
» The human heart is designed for fellowship with God… and without that fellowship it is empty… barren… hollow… and unsatisfied.
» Mere images of God can NEVER satisfy the human heart.
» Only God Himself can do that.
Image
1. Image Defined: eikon
a. The very substance or essential embodiment of something or someone.
b. The term speaks of “image” and “representative.”
2. In the New Testament there are four passages where the DEITY of Christ is presented clearly… and those 4 passages use four terms to describe Christ’s relationship to God the Father. They all speak of a likeness with God—and express some sort of manifestation of Deity.
a. Col. 1:15 – eikon – the image of God
b. Heb. 1:3 – character – the express image of God
c. John 1:1,14 – logos – the Word of God
d. Phil. 2:6 – morphe – the form of God
3. Image always implies a likeness.
a. But image and likeness are two different Greek terms:
» “Image” (eicon) involves “likeness” (homoiosis)
» There is a likeness or a resemblance in every “image.”
» An image looks LIKE that which it represents. (a coin with the emperor’s face; a statue of a horse; etc.)
b. But not every likeness necessarily involves an image.
» Two people may have a “likeness.” They may look alike… but they may have no relationship whatsoever to each other.
c. Image (eikon) is more than a similarity or likeness.
» Image always involves a prototype from which it was drawn or taken… an exact counterpart.
» Ex: coin stamped out of a dye; (the coin is an eikon. It was derived from the original dye; if you see the coin, you have seen the dye… they bear the same likeness.
» Ex: a king’s ring and a wax seal made from it…
» Likeness involves mere resemblance; but eikon/image involves an exact counterpart and derivation.
4. Image implies representation…
a. This term for image does not speak of a likeness that was accidental… (two unrelated people who happen to look alike).
b. It speaks of a representation from either natural causes (a son in the likeness of his father—the spittin’ image of his dad!)
c. Or it might speak of a representation by design (a statue of Geo. Washington—designed to be in his likeness).
d. As the image of God, Christ represents God… there is a likeness that is not accidental.
e. And the likeness is not bodily or physical, but in His nature, character, and attributes.
f. He perfectly represents the Father because He came from the Father. There is a relationship between Him and His Father. They are the same in nature. He is the IMAGE of God.
5. Image implies visible manifestation…
a. God is invisible. No man can see God and live.
b. But Christ is the image of God – a visible manifestation of an otherwise invisible God.
c. The dye from which coins were stamped was never seen by the population. The coin is what they see. And to see the coin was to see the dye. They are the same. The coin is the image of that dye.
d. “He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father” (John 14:9; 12:45).
6. Image contrasted to a shadow
a. Heb. 10:1 – the Old Testament sacrifices were mere shadows of Christ and not the very image.
» Image was a CLEAR representation… a shadow was but a vague outline…
» Col. 2:17 – here a similar contrast exists between the shadow and the Body (the actual body is a much better representation of the substance and essence than a mere shadow)
» Christ is a perfectly CLEAR representation of the Father.
The Image of God in Man
1. The Bible uses this term of men also.
a. I Cor. 11:7 – man is the “image” of God.
b. Jas. 3:9 – even fallen, sinful men are said to be in the image of God.
c. But (and this is a huge difference!) men are said to be MADE in the image of God.
» This certainly does attribute deity in men!!!
» We were made in the image of God. (Gen. 1:26-27)
1. Jas. 3:9 – we were MADE after the similitude of God.
2. I Cor. 11:7 – man is the image and glory of God BECAUSE He was “made” in that image.
3. Christ was never MADE in the image of God. He eternally IS the image of God!
» Man is made in the image of God in that, like God, man possesses: intellect; emotion; will—in this sense we are made in the image of God…
» But each aspect of our personality has been affected by sin… depravity reaches to every part of our being.
» Morally, the image of God has been spoiled by the fall. He is holy and we are sinful.
» Men do NOT reflect the image of God in the sense of His divine attributes: omniscience; omnipotence; omnipresence; immutability; etc.
d. However, when a person is SAVED, God begins a process of restoring that marred image.
» Col. 3:10 – the new man is renewed in knowledge after the image of God.
» II Cor. 3:18 – in the meantime, during our earthly pilgrimage, we are gradually being transformed into that image… from glory to glory.
» Rom. 8:29 – we were predestinated to ultimately be conformed to His image.
e. It is possible for men to be a dim reflection of God’s character. Glimpses of holiness and goodness are demonstrated in the lives of Spirit filled Christians as we walk by faith.
f. This is God’s work of restoring that broken image in man…
7. BUT — Jesus Christ is entirely DIFFERENT from other men. He IS the image of God innately. It is His nature… it is who He is.
a. He was not ever in a process of being “changed” into the image of God.
b. He was the express image of the Father from eternity!
c. Nor did He become the image of God when He took on human flesh in Bethlehem. He was always the perfect image of God.
d. His essential character is “the image of God.” It is who He is.
e. Man is only a finite image of God… subject to many limitations.
f. But Christ is the infinite image of God—perfectly and eternally reflecting ALL of the divine attributes, qualities, and character of the Godhead.
g. Thus, there is an infinite difference between man being “made” in the image of God, and Christ BEING the image of God.
h. At a point in time, man was MADE in the image of God. At a point in time, God STAMPED His image in man.
i. But Christ eternally IS the image. There was never a time when this image was “stamped” in Christ. Forever He is and was and will be that same image of the Father.
j. Calvin: The question is as to the perfect wisdom, goodness, righteousness, and power of God, for the representing of which no creature were competent.
k. Christ revealed the Father perfectly… whereas, as men, we are but imperfect reflections of His life and character.
The Image of God in Christ
1. The perfect and complete image of God the Father is seen in Christ and in Christ ALONE.
a. Thus, we are not to look elsewhere for THE image of the Father than in the Person of Christ.
b. Anything else that claims to be THE image of God is an IDOL.
c. Some claim to find God on the golf course… or on the ski slopes… or lying on a beach looking up into the sky to see the glory of God!
d. Now it is true that there is something about God that can be seen in nature… His existence and power.
e. BUT God can NEVER be known through nature. There can be no fellowship or communion with God through nature.
f. Rom. 1:20 – the invisible things of Him are clearly seen… but that revelation is extremely limited.
g. Nature reveals the existence, power, and wisdom of God; but nature cannot reveal the PERSON of God to us.
h. It is only in Jesus Christ that the invisible God is revealed perfectly.
i. God as a PERSON cannot be known through nature.
j. To seek God in nature is to be seeking an idol.
k. God’s image is to be found in the Person of Jesus Christ… and nowhere else. He is the ONLY visible manifestation of the Father.
2. “The express image of His Person” (Heb. 1:3).
a. “express image” = character = the impress left by a die on a coin or a seal on wax; (typewriter)…
3. “He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).
a. This is tantamount to saying, “You want to see God? Look at Me.” It is a claim of equality with the Father.
b. This would have been the height of arrogance (and blasphemy) for a mere man to say!
c. We can say, “May a glimpse of Christ’s indwelling life be manifested in some feeble way through my mortal body”… but that is a far cry from what Jesus said!
d. We can say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the work of God in progress in a clay pot.” That is a far cry from saying, “to see Me is to see God… the Father!”
e. We bear the image of God and were made in the image of God. Christ IS the image of God.
4. No man can SEE the invisible God, but Jesus Christ has revealed Him to us (John 1:18).
a. It is in Christ alone that the invisible God is able to be revealed… perfectly and accurately… and is manifested to men.
b. Christ—the image of God—makes the invisible God known.
c. Christ “declares” God (declares: (exegesis— to lead out, metaph., to draw out in narrative, unfold a teaching; the things relating to God; used in Greek writing of the interpretation of things sacred and divine.)
d. Christ is the exegesis of God. He came forth from God. He is the same as God. And He reveals God… because He IS God!
e. He is the image of God—the visible manifestation of Deity.
5. And we BEHELD His glory — the glory as of the Father (John 1:14)
a. The same essence as the Father…This is what is taught in these passages…
b. No one who did NOT share the essence of deity could genuinely be the “express image” of the Father… or the “image of the invisible God.”
c. Christ is able to manifest the Father’s nature and glory because He SHARES that nature and glory… that divine essence.
d. John 17:5 – they shared the SAME glory…
e. The glory of the invisible God is seen in the person of Jesus Christ.
f. That glory was veiled in human flesh—but at times radiated right through His humanity—that men might BEHOLD the glory of God… not the full blazing glory, but a veiled manifestation of it.
6. Note that Paul states that Christ (continually) IS the image of the invisible God.
a. This was true in the incarnation. (I Tim. 3:16 – God was manifest in the flesh…)
b. But this does not refer to the incarnation only. (Or it would have said, “He became the image of God.”
c. Rather, it refers to His eternal relationship to the Father…
d. It speaks of the very nature of deity that Christ has always possessed.
e. Even in the Old Testament, when God manifested Himself, it was the SON of God’s role… as the Angel of the Lord. The Rock in the wilderness… and that Rock was Christ. When God manifested Himself, it was through the eternal Son. He is and always was the image of God.
f. Ellicott wrote: “that Christian antiquity has ever regarded the expression “image of God” as denoting the eternal Son’s perfect equality with the Father in respect of His substance, nature, and eternity.”
g. Christ IS the image of God. This was true in His pre-incarnate state. It was true during His earthly incarnation. And it is true in His present heavenly glorified state… the glorified God-Man at the right hand of the Father.
h. He eternally IS the image of God… the very nature of deity.
i. There never has been, nor ever will be a point in time when Christ is NOT the image of the invisible God.
7. The IMAGE of God is necessary because the finite (us!) cannot understand the infinite (God).
a. We are thus dependent upon this image of God (in Christ) that we might KNOW God.
b. Through Christ we can know God… and there is no other way to know Him.
c. II Cor. 4:6 – salvation is described as coming to the knowledge of God in the FACE of Jesus Christ.
d. An idol of any sort—a man-made image can NEVER satisfy the human heart…
e. That inner longing for God is not satisfied by US making an image of God in our likeness. (That’s what the gentiles did in Rom. 1:23.)
f. Rather, that inner longing for God is satisfied only in the Person of Jesus Christ—THE image of God.
g. As men, we seem to need an image to be able to relate to God who is invisible: Here is God’s means of dealing with that: His Son—the image of the invisible God!
h. Christ gives expression to the invisible God.
i. We can SEE God through the Person of Jesus Christ. (John 14:9)
j. Christ came to earth and dwelt with men… talked to men… mingled with men…
k. As our Great High Priest, He has experienced every aspect of being human… in our humanity and frailty, we can relate to God through Jesus Christ… who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities…the image of God became flesh!
l. In the person of Christ, the human and divine were united in one theanthropic person — the image of God—God manifested in human flesh—that we might KNOW GOD…
8. Christ is the image of the Father.
a. Christ is the image of the Father — the Father is the prototype; Christ the exact counterpart.
b. As Christians, we can reflect Gods’ image to a limited degree.
c. But Christ did not merely reflect the glory and image of the Father. He IS the image of the Father… the express image.
d. Man was “made” in the image of God. Christ eternally WAS the image of God.
e. This speaks of the fact that He is the perfect representation of the Father.
f. This speaks of His superiority OVER all of creation… including spirit beings.
9. Christ is the mediator between God and man. He is the image of God – a visible manifestation of the invisible God to man. He is the logos of God – communicating an infinite God to finite men.
a. Throughout His earthly life, Jesus Christ manifested who God is to mankind. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; for the life was manifested and we have seen it.” (I John 1:1-2)
b. Somehow, someway, the divine and the human were perfectly blended together in the person of Jesus Christ—in such a way that did not diminish His deity one iota… nor did it diminish His true humanity. He was truly the God-Man.
c. As such, He is the image of God – a visible manifestation to the human race of what God is like… of who God is…
d. God is KNOWN only through the person of Jesus Christ.
10. Consider the importance of this truth to the theme of the book… Paul is proving that:
a. Christ is NOT one of many emanations from God as the false teachers were declaring. He was GOD HIMSELF! The eikon of God—exact image.
b. He is the STAMP of God… the same stamp He always was.
c. The Colossians didn’t need to be initiated into the special knowledge of the Gnostic cultists. The knowledge of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ! He is all sufficient!
d. They didn’t need to look anywhere else for salvation. Christ is the Redeemer… the Savior… the God-Man.
e. HOW did Paul combat the error of the Gnostics?
» His primary means of combating the error was to hold forth the glory of the Person of Jesus Christ!
» Sure, there is a time and a place for hammering away at the evil and false doctrine.
» But it is FAR more effective to exalt Christ. He is the answer.
» Sometimes in our zeal to see people avoid worldliness, sin, and error, we harangue folks about the evil. How much better to exalt our Lord and Savior—Jesus Christ. Cause folks to fall in love with Him… and want to please Him.
» Separation FROM evil will never be accomplished by constantly hammering away at the evil.
» Separation FROM evil is accomplished by encouraging folks to be separated UNTO Christ.
f. II Cor. 3:18 – When it came to spiritual growth—they could gaze upon Christ—and as they beheld His glory, they would be transformed into that same image even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
g. Christ is all they need. Christ is all you and I need too.
h. It would take forever and be extremely confusing to try to point out and warn against ALL the false religious systems that have arisen over the years.
i. How much better to simply preach the truth… point men to Christ… Neither is there salvation in any other. (Acts 4:12)
j. Have you received Him by faith? Is He YOUR Savior?
Introduction:
1. This section is the meat of the book of Colossians.
2. This section is the basis or the foundation for all the arguments the apostle makes later on in the epistle.
3. In this small portion of Scripture (vs.14-20) we have one of the most concise passages anywhere in which the deity and glory of Christ are lifted up for all to see…
The Firstborn of Every Creature
1. Firstborn: πρωτότοκος – prō-tótokos
a. Greek/English Lexicon of the New Testament gives firstborn two related possible meanings:
» Pertaining to superiority to all else —‘superior to, above all.’
» Pertaining to existing prior to something else—‘existing first, existing before.’
b. The basic meaning of the term is as it sounds: the firstborn.
» It often spoke of the first son born… and thus would connote TIME… sequence… he was before all the others in that he was born first… chronologically.
» But it developed another meaning: RANK
» The firstborn son in ancient society was a special son; it was a special rank or position of prestige to be firstborn; they were given a double portion of the inheritance; they had rank over the other sons; they were the head of the tribe;
c. Firstborn speaks of RANK, not just time… although both are often involved. In any one context, one or the other meaning is usually emphasized: time or rank.
d. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: does not simply denote the priority in time of the pre-existent Lord; what is meant is the unique supremacy of Christ over all creatures.
2. The firstborn son usually emphasized RANK rather than chronological order.
a. The position as firstborn was understood as a rank in Judaism.
b. The most prominent example was Jacob and Esau—where it was said that the elder shall serve the younger.
» The one born first (Esau) did not end up as the firstborn.
» Jacob was the son born second, but became the firstborn son in rank—with all the privileges, blessings, and prestige of the position.
» This was true of Ishmael and Isaac; Reuben and Joseph; Manasseh and Ephraim…
» For one reason or another, the first one born was set aside, and the second one took the position as “firstborn.”
» Hence, Adam because of sin was set aside; Christ, the second Adam is called Firstborn.
» It doesn’t mean Christ is the first man born; or the first creature created. It means He is the preeminent One.
c. Ps. 89:27 – the Messiah was said to be God’s firstborn – which means “higher than all the kings of the earth.”
d. The terms firstborn and only begotten are often twisted by the cults… and too often they fool believers who are not versed in the meaning of these terms.
» The cults love them because they don’t mean what the English word appears to mean.
» Firstborn does not mean the one born first.
» Only begotten does not mean the only one born. (Isaac was Abraham’s only begotten son—yet he had other sons too!)
» They are terms of RANK meaning (1) supreme and (2) unique.
3. The context in Col. 1 implies that RANK is what Paul had in mind. The concept of time (while present in the term) seems to be in the background while the meaning of RANK takes center stage.
a. He is SUPERIOR to every creature! (vs.15)
b. He is HEAD of the church. (vs.18)
c. He is to have the PREEMINENCE (vs.18)
4. Several different translations picked up on this nuance:
a. New Century Version: He ranks higher than everything that has been made.
b. New King James: the firstborn over all creation.
c. New Living Translation: He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.
d. Wuest: who has priority to and sovereignty over all creation.
e. Today’s English Version: superior to all created things.
5. The firstborn OF every creature
a. What the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done with this verse in their New World Translation:
» “The firstborn of every other creature.” (added “other”)
» There is no word for “other” in the Greek text—in ANY Greek manuscript.
» In fact they add this word “other” 6 times in the context of Christ as Firstborn… to promote their heresy… that Jesus Christ is a mere creature.
» They say that He is firstborn in that He was the first creature God made… and the most important one. (But a mere creature!)
» Quote from the official Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower publication: “Jesus was God’s first creation, and so he is called the “firstborn” Son of God. (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14) Jesus is the only Son that God created by himself. Jehovah used the pre-human Jesus as his master worker in creating all other things in heaven and on earth.”
» They say that after God created Jesus, Jesus then created the rest of the world.
» To the Jehovah’s Witnesses, firstborn means “the first one created.”
» Paul used the word firstborn, prototokos. If he meant to say that Christ was the “first-created,” he would have used the term: protoktisis.
6. Rev.3:14 –The Jehovah’s Witnesses do the same sort of thing with this phrase: “Beginning of the creation of God.”
a. In what sense is Christ the “beginning” of the creation of God?
b. Was He the first creature created? That’s what the cults would have us to believe.
c. Beginning—arche—Strong’s: that by which anything begins to be, the origin, the active cause.
d. Wm. Burkett: the principal and efficient cause of the creation,
e. AT Robertson: the originating source of creation
f. Christ is the active CAUSE of creation – because He is the Creator! He is the Word – He spoke and caused it to be!
g. Heb.12:2 -a similar term is used which refers to a leader or one who is first. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith… from start to finish… our faith rests in HIM!!
h. Wm. Burkett translated it: The Beginner of creation…
i. Thus, Christ is the Beginning of Creation… and the GOAL of creation!
j. All things were created BY Him and FOR Him…
» This is exactly what Peter meant when he said that men twist the scriptures to their own destruction. (II Pet. 3:16b) They add words. They pervert the meaning of terms. And the average Christian doesn’t know the Word well enough to spot it!
7. Firstborn of every creature means that Christ is SUPREME OVER all of creation.
a. Paul put it this way in Phil. 2:9: God hath given Him a name which is above every name: Firstborn of all creation!
By Him Were All Things Created
1. FOR = because…
a. Christ is SUPERIOR to all of creation BECAUSE He is the Creator!
b. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that “firstborn of every creature” means that Jesus was the first creature created.
c. However, Paul makes it plain that that could not be. He isn’t the first creature… FOR He created all things!
d. The gist of the passage is this: He is supreme OVER all creation BECAUSE He is the Creator!
2. Created BY Him…
a. En autw, in Him (vs.16a)
b. This is locative, not instrumental. (Locative = in the sphere of…)
» Di’ autou, in this expression Paul uses the instrumental Cause = by Him (vs. 16c).
» God created the world BY MEANS of the Second Person of the Trinity: Christ.
» But “in Him” is a unique way of speaking of His relationship to creation.
» Creative power resides IN HIM.
» Wuest: In Him, within the sphere of His personality, resides the Creative will and the creative energy, and in that sphere the creative act takes place.”
» If you are looking for the source of creation—it is to be found in Christ.
» Creation was “in Him” in the sense that a building was created first in the mind of the Architect.
c. Thus, the truth about Christ as Creator is stated in two ways in this verse (in Him; by Him) so as to be certain no one missed the point!
d. Heb. 1:2 – the same thought: The Father created the world by means of Christ the Son.
e. John 1:3 – another passage that speaks of the Son as the Creator of all things.
f. Everything that was ever created was created by Him.
g. The false teachers believed that all matter (the created world) was evil—and therefore it could not have been created by God… it must have been created by some lesser being… one of the emanations from God.
h. Paul refutes this teaching by showing that Jesus is both DIVINE and CREATOR…
i. Created: used in two different tenses here:
» The first one (vs.16a) is aorist – a past event…
» The second (vs.16c) is perfect – speaking of the past action with continuing, settled results – it STANDS created by Him; (it isn’t ever going to change… He IS creator; it will always be HIS creation)
3. All things means ALL things.
a. All things that were created were created by Christ… the eternal Son. Cf. John 1:3 – and without Him was not anything made that was made!
b. In all PLACES:
» Things in heaven (in the heavens – plural)
· This includes all the galaxies of the universe!
· This includes the sun, moon, stars, and planets and anything else that is floating about in the galaxies that we have not yet discovered…
» Things in earth
· This includes mankind; the animals; the plants; rocks; hills; streams; etc…
c. All SORTS: visible and invisible
» Things that are visible—whatever the astronauts and the space ships can see in outer space, God made it all.
» Things that are not visible –
· realms the human mind has not yet entered… a whole universe in an atom… in inner space and outer space yet undiscovered…
· All the hosts of heaven – holy and fallen angels.
· These are the only two possibilities: either something is visible or invisible. This covers everything!
d. All RANKS:
» The angelic hierarchy.
· thrones (thronoi)
· powers (kyriotetes)
· rulers (archai)
· authorities (exousiai)
» These terms speak not so much about different kinds of angels or spirit beings, but rather different RANKS of spirit beings… different realms of authority…
» Perhaps we could liken these terms to mayors, senators, governors, and presidents…
» The angelic realm is well organized… orderly—and this is true of both the holy angels and the fallen angels.
e. There were many different ranks in the angelic realm. And the Colossians were involved in angel worship. (2:18)
f. Christ defeated all fallen principalities and powers and spoiled them at the cross! (2:15)
g. Paul is preparing to deal with this heresy. (2:10) Christ is HEAD over all these angelic ranks—both holy and fallen angels.
» He is not one of the angels. He is the image of God!
» He is OVER all the angels—He is the firstborn—the Supreme one over created beings… including angels.
h. In fact, the angels of God WORSHIP the Son… the firstborn! (Heb.1:6)
» Christ was not an angel. The angels worshipped the Son as GOD… the angels were God’s servants and ministers. (vs. 7)
» The Father addressed the Son as “God.” (vs. 8)
» The Father continues addressing the Son and speaks of Him as “Creator.” (vs. 10) (Cf. 1:3 – creator)
» The Jehovah’s Witnesses may think of Christ as an angel, but the angels don’t think of Him as an angel. They worship Him as God!
» And the Father doesn’t think of Christ as an angel. The Father calls Him “God,” “Creator” and “Lord.”
i. Eph. 1:19-21 – Here Paul states that Christ was raised up FAR ABOVE all angels… all principalities and powers!
j. I Pet. 3:22 – Peter concurs! All angelic authorities are subservient to Jesus Christ. He is Lord of ALL.
k. Phil. 2:10 – one day every creature (men and angels; holy and unholy) will bow before Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord.
l. How does Paul deal with the heresy of angel worship in Colossae?
» He exalts the Lord Jesus Christ… He is HEAD over all principalities and powers…
» He is the firstborn of all creatures—including angels.
» He is the Creator of the angels…
» He and He alone is to be worshipped—not angels!
All Things Were Created FOR Him
1. For Him = eis auton = unto as a goal or purpose.
2. Christ is the One FOR WHOM the entire creation was made.
3. Rev. 4:11 – The Lord is the Creator—and all things were created FOR His pleasure.
a. All things were created in Him, by Him, and for Him. (en, dia, eis)
b. Created IN Him (as a creation appears in the mind of an Architect); BY Him (as the Builder; construction); and FOR Him (as the Owner of all—for His pleasure)
c. Creative power resided IN HIM… operated actively THROUGH HIM… and is ultimately aimed FOR HIM.
4. Rom. 11:36 – for of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.
a. Here Paul uses one different preposition:
b. Of Him = ex (out of Him as a Source); + dia & eis (same as Col.)
c. This speaks of Christ as the Beginning and the End… the Alpha and Omega…
5. Putting this passage in the purpose of the epistle:
a. Christ created the angels.
b. They were created FOR Him. They serve Him. They are in subjection to Him. He is not one of them!
c. Angels are not to rob Christ of any worship. They worship Him. They ascribe praise to Him. They bow before Him. They chant day and night, Holy, Holy, Holy!
6. The created world shouts out of God’s glory! (Ps. 19:1)
He is Before All Things
1. This expression speaks of the fact that Christ pre-dated ALL things—including the angels… including all of creation.
2. The fact that this verse begins with the word “and” (kai) is another indication that the word firstborn indicates RANK rather than time.
a. This term highlights TIME.
b. Christ was before all things in TIME.
c. As firstborn He is before all things in RANK.
d. Here He is said to be before all things chronologically.
3. Before all things speaks of eternity past… before the creation.
a. Before the creation, there was only GOD. Christ was there—before all things. He is God.
b. The only being who could possibly predate all of creation is God Himself—in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God… and the Word was God! He then became creator! (John 1:1-3)
c. He is the great I AM. “Before Abraham was I am.” Before creation was, “I Am.” He is the Great I Am – the eternal, self existent One: God!
4. Micah 5:2 – His goings forth have been from old, from everlasting. He existed before time began. He is eternal. He is God.
By Him All Things Consist
1. Not only is Christ the One who created all things, but by Him all things consist.
a. Consist: to place together; band together; hold together.
b. Christ holds all things together.
c. Tense: perfect – they continue to hold together because of Him.
2. In other words, all things came into being by means of Christ and all things continue to exist by means of Christ.
a. Christ created the world and He continues to maintain it.
b. He is a God who is near and not afar off. He was not the god of the Deists… He is not like the ancient concepts of Baal…
3. Heb. 1:3 – He upholds all things by the Word of His power.
a. Now we discover that this same One also He sustains it… The world is kept in its creative ORDER by Him…
b. The world was created by Him and is being maintained by Him! He built the house and he takes care of it! (pres. tense – continuous action)
» Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice…
» He gives life and breath to all men—and continues to provide life and breath for them…
» He sends rain for the crops to maintain the food chain…for the good and the evil… He causes the sun to shine…
» He is the ultimate Cause behind the maintenance of the universe!
» He maintains His world faithfully – like clockwork… (aren’t you glad!?!? Gravity always works; the sun shines every day; the sun stays in its place without wandering away; the earth continues to rotate…
» The world maintains its perfectly delicate balance because the SON maintains and sustains the world He created.
CONCLUSION:
1. Consider the awesome things stated about Christ in this passage:
a. His relation to sinners:
» He is Redeemer; the one whose blood provides forgiveness of sins.
b. His relationship to God:
» The IMAGE of God –the very same…
c. His relationship to Creation:
» The firstborn over all creation…
» BECAUSE He is Creator…
» IN HIM were all things created – in Him reside all the creative powers of God… as Architect… as Author… as the Logos of God…
» BY HIM all things were created – as Builder… the Beginner… the active agent through whom God created the worlds.
» FOR HIM all things were created… He is the goal… the end… the purpose of creation… for His glory and pleasure.
2. What this means to us…
a. Christ is the preeminent One…
b. He is all we need…
c. We are not to give our attention or devotion to an image… but to Christ—THE Image of God.
d. We are not to be caught up in the present day frenzy over angels. Our attention should be given to Christ.
e. He is over the spirit realm. We are not to be overly concerned about Satan and his spirit world. Christ has defeated them all… and one day they will all bend the knee and acknowledge their defeat and Him as Lord… our focus should be on Christ.
f. He holds the universe together. He cares for the world He created. He knows if a sparrow falls to the ground—how much MORE concern does He have for His own children and the troubles we all face in life…
g. Our Savior can take care of the universe… He can certainly take care of me.
» Whatever we face; whatever trials we have to deal with;
» Whatever the future may hold for us…
» The Creator is also a tender Shepherd who cares for our souls…
» Isa. 40:11 – He shall feed His flock; gather the lambs in his arms; carry them in His bosom; gently lead those that are with young…
h. He not only made us, but He became One of us.
» He is Creator and Great High Priest.
» He created us, and He entered into His creation in the form of a man. He knows all about life on this cursed earth.
» We can come to Him… (Heb. 2:17-18) And He WANTS us to come to Him… and to no other!
i. We need to know Christ that way… and rest in His love… embrace Him… surrender to Him… yield… and let HIM be God in our lives too.
3. If you do not know Christ as Savior—He WANTS to be YOUR Savior too. He died and rose again. He paid the penalty for your sins… but you are commanded to repent… and to receive Him by faith!
a. One day every creature will bend the knee to Christ… some on earth, some in heaven, and some in hell.
b. It is too late for repentance in Hell!
c. Bend the knee today. Come to Christ and be saved! BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
Introduction:
1. This section of Colossians exalts the Person of JESUS CHRIST.
2. He is over the original creation as Firstborn.
3. He is over the new creation as the Beginning and Head of the Body, the church.
4. In every realm (what God is doing in His Body and in the rest of the universe) He is to have the preeminence.
HEADSHIP SPEAKS OF AUTHORITY
Christ is the Head of the Church. He has absolute authority.
1. Headship is used in this sense in the New Testament. (Cf. Eph. 5:25 – the husband is the head of the wife. The emphasis is on his authority in the home.
2. In Col. 1:18, the emphasis is on Christ’s authority in the Body. The Head is in charge.
Christ Is Captain in the Promised Land (Josh. 5:13-15)
1. Vs. 13 – Joshua met the Lord Jesus (a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ).
2. Vs. 1 – context = the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership.
3. Vs. 12 – this was a transition period for the Jews. The wilderness experience was coming to an end, and now they were IN the Land of milk and honey…
4. Vs. 13 – immediately upon entering the Land, Joshua is confronted by a MAN with a sword—the eternal Son of God.
5. Review the typology:
a. Exodus = redemption in Christ.
• Israel was redeemed out of bondage to slavery in Egypt –the world. We were redeemed out of the world—and out of slavery to sin.
• Moses was their redeemer; Christ is ours.
• It was just an 11 day journey to cross the wilderness—and COULD have and SHOULD have entered into their inheritance early on… but refused to trust God.
b. Wilderness wanderings = chastening… the only alternative to entering into Canaan… wander in a dry and weary land… this was NEVER intended to be the norm.
• It didn’t have to happen that way.
• They could have entered into their inheritance right away, but it was a lack of faith that resulted in them being condemned to the wilderness for 40 years.
• Instead, they wandered in a dry, parched, weary wilderness—when they COULD have been and should have been enjoying the riches God promised them!
c. Crossing Jordan does not picture our physical death, but our death with Christ… our old man being crucified.
• Not until we come to this point of reckoning SELF dead are we able to enter into our Canaan land.
• Before the Christian can ever enter into the full appreciation of and experience of his riches in Christ—he must come to an end of himself…
• We need to acknowledge that our old man DIED with Christ…
d. Canaan does not picture future heaven, but speaks of our PRESENT experience of our heavenly blessings.
• Christ is in heaven and we are in Him.
• But physically, we are on earth—but are to ABIDE in Him and DWELL in our Canaan… dwelling in our Beulah Land… by faith.
• We have been raised up already in Christ… and hence, the heavenlies are OURS already! That is our inheritance…
• We are joint heirs with Christ. It is our glorious position in Christ.
• This is our present possession, but we only experience its riches as we abide in Him by faith, a heavenly experience is ours… now… a foretaste of glory divine!
e. Entering the Promised Land pictures the believer, once redeemed, entering into a full experience of what he has in Christ BY FAITH … our inheritance in Him… entering into our REST.
• It isn’t necessary to wander spiritually for years; and waste years of our Christian life.
• We can and should enter in as soon as we get there! Pursue it… seek it… LEARN about our riches in Christ through studying the Word… and then enter in by faith… and settle in and enjoy it! LABOR to enter into His rest! Hunger after it.
f. Contrast between Old Testament and New Testament
• In the OT, Israel had an earthly inheritance… our inheritance is not earthly or physical. Our inheritance is in the realm of light… holiness… a heavenly position in Christ.
6. The message of the vision in Joshua 5:13
a. Joshua and the people are about to enter into their rich inheritance in the land—where he can enter into rest… and rest under his fig tree… and rest from his physical enemies when God gives them victory. The land was Israel’s all the time they wandered—but not until they were ready to trust God were they able to enter in.
b. This pictures the believer entering into and experiencing by faith his rich inheritance in Christ where we too can enter into rest for our soul… This inheritance is the property of every believer the moment they are saved, but not until they are ready to surrender to Christ… yield fully to Him… and reckon themselves to be dead are they able to experience their spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…
c. In this picture, as soon as Joshua and the people enter the land, they are confronted by a Man with a sword…
d. The Israelites were about to begin their battles—fighting in Jericho in chapter six… but BEFORE they could ever experience victory — it was necessary for them to be confronted—face to face—with this Man with a sword.
e. This Man is the Lord Jesus Christ… the Angel of the Lord… the eternal Son… the image (visible manifestation) of the invisible God.
f. Joshua’s question: (vs.13c)
• Joshua didn’t know who this man was at first.
• “Are you on OUR side or are you on THEIR (our enemies’) side? Whose side are you on?”
• Joshua saw himself as the leader… and the adversary as having a cause… and a leader. Joshua wanted this man to pick sides: either you are with me or with my enemies.
• The Man’s answer: (vs.14)
• Nay (no). A strange answer for an either/or question.
• The Lord made it clear that Joshua’s question was wrong! His thinking was wrong.
• Joshua asked “Are you on my side or their side? Which one?”
» Meaning: if you want to be on OUR side, then you can join our army and fight alongside us. You can be one of our soldiers…
» You can HELP us fight… one of our helpers. You can add a little more strength to our side.
• The Lord answered: NO. I’m not on your side OR their side. I’m not joining anybody’s team.
• I am the Captain. I am Captain of all the Lord’s armies. I am Captain of all the hosts of heaven.
• Previously the children of Israel experienced defeat and frustration as they wandered in the wilderness for a generation. In the wilderness they were concerned about who was in charge… and they murmured against Moses and Aaron. They didn’t want anyone over them.
• But now that they have entered the Promised Land, the Lord makes it clear that things are different in this realm. I AM CAPTAIN in this land. I am in charge of this realm.
• I don’t join your army. You are to join my army and to submit to Me. I am Captain… Lord…
• Joshua understood exactly what the Lord meant—and fell down to worship… and acknowledged that He was Lord and Joshua was his servant.
• The Lord also said, that when you are in My presence, you are on HOLY ground. Take off your shoes!
g. What this illustrates:
• As believers, we have been made meet to be partakers of our rich inheritance in Christ. (Col. 1:12c)
• Christians are positioned IN CHRIST… In His Body, the church.
• IN HIM we have all spiritual blessings and our spiritual inheritance.
• But if we as individual believers are to experience our inheritance… and enter into rest… and have victory… then we are expected to BOW in submission before the Captain…
• We are to acknowledge Christ as Lord… as HEAD of the Body.
• In the spiritual realm… in our heavenly position… as we dwell in the heavenly sphere… it is no longer I but Christ. He’s the Captain of this land… He’s the Head of the Body.
• As we face our foes, Christ doesn’t “help” us fight. He doesn’t add a little more strength to what we can muster up already. He IS our strength! He doesn’t “help” us fight. The battle is the LORD’s! He is our strength, our shield, our fortress, our Captain, our LIFE!
• Before we can ever enter into our rest… and experience the blessings of our inheritance in Christ, the issue of AUTHORITY needs to get settled once and for all.
• Unless we come to an end of SELF… reckon self to be dead… and yield our members to Christ… surrendered completely to Him… there IS no victory!
• The Man with the sword demands submission… we must acknowledge Him as Lord… as Head of the Body… and Head over each member of that body—namely, ME… and you!
• As we put our all on the altar in total submission, and enter into this close personal relationship to Christ, we are entering holy ground… (Heb. 10:19).
• In the church, we are coming into His realm… holy ground… a fellowship or assembly of God’s heavenly people… and into the presence of our heavenly High Priest… into the heavenly sanctuary… the holy of holies… this is holy ground…
• And in this realm… in this land… on this holy ground, Christ is Lord… Captain… Head…
• In this relationship to Christ, we enter with reverence and humility… bowing before Him as Lord… as Head… as Sovereign. WE take off our shoes as servants…
• He is not joining our cause, we are united to Him.
• He is not our Servant. We are here to serve Him.
• We don’t come to Christ so that He can do us favors. Rather, we come to Christ with self placed on the cross and out of the way… so that we can serve Him unhindered, unrestricted, unentangled, unencumbered.
7. Paul presents Christ this way in Colossians one.
a. He is HEAD over all creation…
b. He is HEAD over His Body… the new creation.
c. First and foremost, the church—the Body—is a place where Christ is HEAD.
d. We are privileged to be members of His Body. We are placed in HIS Body.
e. Just as the Captain of the Lord’s hosts didn’t join Joshua’s army, Christ doesn’t join our church organization. He doesn’t join our team. Rather He is Captain. He is Head.
f. We are joined to Him… united to Him… baptized into HIS Body…
g. We are joined to Him and He is HEAD over us all.
h. Headship speaks of Christ’s absolute authority OVER the Body… the church.
HE HIMSELF IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY
1. The BODY Paul mentions here is not any particular local church—or an association of churches. It speaks of the universal church.
a. This refers to believers worldwide—anyone who is born again in this age is a member of the universal church.
b. Christ is HEAD over the universal Body of Christ.
c. Therefore, He is also HEAD over every local manifestation of the universal body of Christ—including this little church: SALEM BIBLE CHURCH!
2. Vs. 18 is translated word for word from the original.
a. The only possible change that one might want to make would be to emphasize the auto/self… The subjective pronoun is not needed because it is included in the verb. But when it is added, it is added for emphasis.
b. He Himself is the Head.
c. It sounds a bit clunky or awkward to translate it that way, but it does bring out a shade of meaning that Paul INTENDED here.
d. Christ is the Head of the Body. He Himself—and no other!
e. Christ is not a mere angel. Angels serve as servants to the church (Heb. 1:6-7). Christ is head OVER the church… and is Head over all angelic realms too! (Col. 2:10).
f. The One who is Creator of the universe is also the Head of the Body!
3. There is no POPE over the body of Christ.
a. Rome states that apart from the pope, the body of Christ would be “headless” on earth.
b. Not so. God did not set up a human hierarchy over all the churches.
c. The pastor is not a protestant pope. The board of elders does not RULE the church. Christ does. He is Head… all power is given unto Him.
d. The earthly leaders have authority only in so far as they submit to Christ and His Word… submit to Christ the Living Word and the Written Word. Apart from that earthly church leaders have NO power… no authority.
e. The church is not to revolve around an earthly personality… yet sadly in our generation we are seeing super churches developing around a super personality… a celebrity-like leader with a big name with lots of charisma…
f. The church is not to revolve around a pastor or any member. Christ and Christ alone is the Head of the Body.
HEADSHIP INVOLVES UNITY
1. There are many members in the Body. (I Cor. 12:14)
a. This is by God’s design and they all serve a valuable function to the Body. (I Cor. 12:11,18)
b. But this fact can also be problematic in that the many members, with many differences, CAN produce friction in the Body… disunity…
c. I Cor. 12:31 – they were coveting the best gifts for themselves. Paul wanted to show them a better way to function in the Body: selfless, humble, love (ch.13).
d. The Body functions because of unity in the midst of diversity. BOTH are absolutely essential for the Body to function properly… diversity AND unity.
e. Unanimity would severely LIMIT the Body’s ability to function (I Cor. 12:19). If we were all the SAME… with the same background… the same spiritual gifts… the same outlook on life… if every member were identical—the Body of Christ would be as handicapped as a physical body that only had one big eye… or one giant foot… Unanimity does not make a body. It makes for a hideous monstrosity!
f. The Body of Christ NEEDS diversity of function.
g. But if a body has 100 different functions all operating at the same time… we would say that that body is spastic.
h. All of those different functions must be coordinated… and there must be unity in the midst of diversity.
2. Christ is the HEAD of the Body. He is the UNITY of the Body.
a. In our physical body, it is the head that tells the legs to walk or the arms to lift… or the tongue to speak.
b. These valuable functions (walking; lifting; talking) are not be operating independently of the other members, or independently of the body corporately.
c. Each member… each function is to be submitted to the Head and the Head gives the orders.
d. Real unity occurs in the Body only when each member is in harmony with the Head.
e. In recent years, there has been much emphasis on psychology in the churches. There have been many seminars on counseling, resolving conflicts, dealing with interpersonal relationships, all aimed at dealing with problems that arise among men. There is a certain amount of benefit to that.
f. However, it is FAR better to teach church members to learn to submit to Christ… to surrender to Him… when that is the case, conflicts in the Body will dissolve away into insignificance.
g. By putting all our efforts into working out the problems in the church among men, we are basically spending our time putting out fires.
h. By spending time with the Lord, submitting to Him, abiding in Him, surrendering our will to Him, we are preventing the fires from erupting in the first place… a far better approach.
i. Illustration: if we each have a watch and are trying to get all of our watches in sync, we could spend forever going from person to person making adjustments. What is needed is a Standard—and all the watches are to adjust to that ONE Standard… one Head… or we are wasting our time.
j. If there were 50 pianos in this room and we wanted to tune them all, we could tune pianos with each other for 50 years before getting it right. But if they are all tuned to a single tuning fork, then they will automatically be in tune with each other.
k. At SALEM BIBLE CHURCH, we choose to point men to Christ… as Head… and to teach all of us to submit to Him… to be in tune with Him. If that is the case, we will automatically be in tune with each other.
l. And even if we disagree about observing certain days, or eating meat, certain forms of entertainment, or some other non-doctrinal issue… as long as our goal is to eat the meat or not eat the meat as unto the Lord… then we really are on the same page… in unity with each… BECAUSE we are in unity with the Head… the mind of Christ the Head rules.
m. The Head organizes, coordinates, orders, arranges, and facilitates all operations in the Body so that the Body functions smoothly… effectively… and rationally.
n. All of this requires each member to be in selfless submission to the Head.
o. A lack of submission or surrender to the Head means that members will be functioning independently of the Head and of the Body on their own.
p. When a physical body moves and operates independently of the brain, it is called either “insanity” or a “convulsion.” It is NOT normal behavior.
Our Resurrected Head
HEADSHIP AND RESURRECTION
1. The Church is a New Creation.
a. It was a mystery. (Col. 1:26)
b. Corporately, it is a body organically connected to Christ the Head… Christ’s Body. (Col. 1:18)
c. Individually, its members are called “New Creations.” (II Cor. 5:17)
• This speaks of regeneration…
• But more than regeneration… it speaks of a new position… “In Christ.”
• The new creation is created in Christ… (Eph. 2:10)
• The body is called “one new man.” (Eph. 2:15)
2. The Church, the new creation, has been raised up with Christ in His resurrection and ascension.
a. Eph. 2:4-6 – The believer today shares justification by faith with Abraham and Old Testament saints. But in this dispensation, salvation brings us into new territory: heavenly places…
b. The same power that raised Christ from the dead has raised us from the dead… and has seated us with Him in glory positionally.
c. The church has entered into holy ground… a heavenly position not attained by any Old Testament saint… no matter how godly.
d. The LEAST of the Christian believers is exalted in his position, far above the godliest Old Testament saint… far above David, Moses, Elijah, etc.
e. The church shares with Christ in His position in heaven. We have been RAISED UP with Him.
f. We are CITIZENS of heaven… something that could not be said of Old Testament saints. They LONGED for that heavenly city… but were never called “citizens of heaven.”
g. Their inheritance was in the land of Israel. Ours is in glory!
h. In the evangelical world, most Christians glory in the cross… in the finished work of Christ at Calvary (and rightly so!) They rejoice in the fact that they are forgiven and saved!
i. Yet few seem to recognize the emphasis in the epistles on the ascension of Christ… and the new position to which He has elevated those IN HIM…
j. And this is SO unfortunate, for this position is really the BASIS of our victory in Christ… and the basis of the believer experiencing the spiritual blessings…
k. It is what Christ hinted at when He spoke of the believer ABIDING in Him… the Vine… and the FRUIT that would result from resting in our new relationship to Him… the RISEN Savior!
3. Christ brought many sons into glory because of our UNION with Him (Heb. 2:9-11).
a. Christ, the eternal Son of God became a man… subject to mortality.
b. As such, He was made lower than the angels (they can’t die!) Angels are over man in his fallen condition. Christ became a man so that He might experience death in order to DELIVER fallen men from sin and condemnation.
c. But Christ did not remain in that mortal state, lower than the angels!
d. He was crowned with glory and honor, as the Man in glory.
e. Christ rose from the dead and entered into the glorified state… a glorified human body… then ascension… and exaltation.
f. He rose from the dead FAR ABOVE all principality and powers…
g. Christ entered into a new realm, never before entered by a Man… glory! AND He brought many sons with Him!
h. Vs. 11 – He and we were UNITED.
• He became part of humanity so that glorified humanity might be united to Him… and brought to glory.
• This union occurs by means of Spirit baptism INTO the Body of Christ, the church.
» Those “In Christ” have been organically united to Christ in such a way that CHANGE is now possible…
» We are in union with One who is able to change us… transform us… empower us… enable us…
» It is not just a member of an organization, but a member of an organism… through which flows the very LIFE of Christ!
» The power that raised Him from the dead and brought Him into resurrection LIFE is now operative in US… in the person of the indwelling Christ!
» His life becomes our life.
» Those baptized into Christ are thus ABLE to walk in newness of life! (Rom. 6:3-4)
» This is new life… resurrection life… all based upon Christ’s resurrection.
• All those IN HIM are seen by God as if “in heavenly places already.”
• All those “In Him” have been united with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and have a new position… in heavenly places…
• And thus, all those in Him are blessed with all spiritual blessings available to those who are IN HIM.
• This is far superior to the position of Old Testament saints. They were God’s earthly people. The church is God’s heavenly people.
i. It was God’s eternal purpose to identify many sons with His Son in glory! (Eph. 1:4-5)
• God chose us and determined before the foundation of the world that SOME would be like His Son.
• God WILL carry out His plan for some to be like Christ.
• It took many ages for this plan to come to fruition… (Old Testament days; earthly ministry; cross; resurrection, ascension).
• THEN, finally, the Risen Christ was able to bring many sons into union with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection… and bring many sons to glory… to a new realm…
4. Christ’s Headship over the New Creation was contingent upon the Resurrection.
a. Christ was not made Head of the Body by virtue of the incarnation. Nothing He did or said during His earthly ministry made Him Head of the Body. Nor was He made Head of the Body by virtue of the cross.
b. It was the resurrection and ascension that made Christ head of the Body.
c. Eph. 1:20-23 – It was resurrection power that raised up Christ from the dead AND cause Him to ascend into heaven.
d. From His position in heaven, He became Head over the Body, the church… and entity that did not exist before the ascension… and COULD not exist before the ascension.
e. It was when Christ was raised up into heavenly places (ascension) that it was GIVEN to Him to be Head of the church, which is His Body. (vs.22)
• This Body is the FULLNESS of Him… (vs. 23)
• It is the completion of Him…the Body in a sense completes or complements Christ in glory…
• In this figure, a Head would be incomplete without a Body. The Body is the complement of the Head.
• Vs. 23 – And He fills the Body with Himself… His life…
• And He fills ALL of His Body—every part… (Be careful how you treat members of His Body!)
f. Eph. 4:7-11 – Christ ascended to heaven before He gave any gifts to the church…
• The gifts are in fact spiritual gifts… capacity to function in the Body… (teachers; pastor; evangelists; etc.)
• The Body could never function without these gifts… hence, the church could not have existed in the Old Testament.
• It would be a body without any capacity to function.
• It would be a body without a head…
• It required Christ’s entrance into glory.
g. Acts 2:31-33 – It was the ascended Christ who sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost to BEGIN the church.
• The Body would have no spirit… no life before the ascension.
• Christ sent the Holy Spirit to begin the work of Spirit baptism… baptizing believers INTO the Body. (I Cor. 12:13)
• Spirit baptism is HOW people get INTO the Body… how men are placed “IN Christ.”
• This did not begin… could not begin… until after the ascension.
h. UNION with Christ was not the result of incarnation, but of resurrection.
• Union with Christ did not occur because Christ came down below to become one of us.
• Union with Christ occurred because Christ rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and took believers up to glory with Him.
• Our union is with the RISEN Savior…
• In His earthly body He had a ministry to His earthly people, Israel. He offered them an earthly kingdom. (Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth…)
• In His glorified body, He has a ministry to His heavenly people, the church… the Body of Christ…
• This is our new position and where we are to dwell by faith.
THE BEGINNING AND THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD
1. Firstborn of the dead…
a. This term is the same as we saw in vs. 15 – the firstborn of every creature.
b. There it spoke of Christ as being preeminent… as being superior to all of creation. Why? (vs.16) FOR He is the Creator!
c. Firstborn can emphasize either first in time or first in rank.
d. In vs.15 it spoke of RANK. (His being BEFORE all creation in time is mentioned separately in vs.17)
e. In vs. 18 the term firstborn also speaks of RANK.
f. Of all those involved in God’s resurrection program… Christ is SUPREME… Highest in rank… superior… over all.
g. The bodies of all the saints of all ages lie in the ground today. Their souls and spirits are with the Lord, but their bodies await resurrection.
h. In God’s order, the body of every human being will be raised from the dead—some to honor, some to dishonor… some to the resurrection of the just… some to the resurrection of the unjust.
i. But of them all, Christ stands in a unique position as firstborn… the highest in rank… supreme… preeminent.
2. In the middle of verse 18, Paul states that Christ is “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”
a. The grammatical relationship of these two terms to each other (apposition) indicates that Paul is speaking about the same thing… the same concept.
b. The term for beginning (arche) is a term that can have a couple of different meanings. The context must determine its meaning.
• Arche can mean “ruler; prince; chief.”
• It can also mean “beginning; first; originator or origination point.”
• It is the term John uses to describe Christ’s relationship to creation: the beginning of the creation of God.” (Rev. 3:14) In this passage it implies the Originator… the One who began creation – Creator!
• In Col. 1:18, it has a similar meaning. Here it relates to Christ’s relationship to God’s resurrection program.
• With respect to God’s resurrection program, Christ is called the “Beginning” (time; source; beginner) and the “Firstborn.” (rank)
3. The Beginning… speaks of Christ as the first one in God’s program of resurrection chronologically.
a. Jesus Christ was the first human being (God-Man) to experience resurrection… and enter into the glorified state.
b. There were several examples of individuals in both Testaments who were raised from the dead—but that is not exactly the same as resurrection.
c. Lazarus was raised from the dead; Elijah and Elisha each raised a young boy from the dead. Tabitha was raised from the dead.
d. However, these folks were raised from the dead into the mortal state… to eventually grow old and die again. That is not resurrection.
e. Resurrection is being raised from the dead into incorruption… immortality… into the glorified state… to die no more.
f. Christ’s resurrection was far more than a mere reversal of His death. He was raised FAR ABOVE the estate He occupied on earth before His death.
g. Christ was the FIRST to be raised to glory… the very first to experience resurrection.
h. He has won for man a position of honor and glory that changes not… incorruptible forever!
i. When Christ rose from the dead, He was the BEGINNING of something new. He was the first Man in the glory! Awesome thought!
j. God has a plan for resurrection… and it all BEGAN with Jesus Christ.
k. And when united by faith to Him – to the Risen Savior, we become partakers of that glory in Him! What a privilege!
l. Jesus said, “The glory which thou gavest me, I have given them.”
4. Firstfruits of the resurrection – (I Cor. 15:20-24)
a. There is a planned order to the resurrection program. Christ is the firstfruits.
b. “Firstfruits” implies the first one, but also implies that there are many more to come!
c. Then, every man in his order. First Christ, then the resurrection associated with His coming (Rapture and Second Coming) and then the “end” – the final resurrection of the unjust. You don’t want to be part of the END resurrection! Be saved today!
d. This term is similar in meaning to the way Paul uses “the beginning” the Firstborn from the dead.
e. When Christ rose from the dead, He blazed a trail in new territory… He paved the way for others to follow… the way to glory!
5. Forerunner: Heb. 6:19-20 – The author of Hebrews expresses this concept with yet another term: forerunner.
a. Christ rose from the dead and entered into the heavenly sanctuary… within the veil… into the Holy of Holies
b. Forerunner: Strong’s: prodromos: one who is sent before to take observations or act as a spy, a scout, a light armed soldier. 1b one who comes in advance to a place where the rest are to follow… a trailblazer.
c. Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven… and in doing so, opened the way for those who believe on His name to do the same…
d. He paved the way… through the veil and right into the heavenly holy of Holies with God… an awesome privilege!
e. He paved the way for our physical resurrection…
f. AND He paved the way for us to enter into REST now… into a holy, communion of a heavenly order!
6. Each of these terms speak of Christ… as Head of the Body… and His relationship to the New Creation.
a. As Head, He is sovereign over the new creation.
b. As the Beginning, He is the Originator of and the first Man to enter this new realm.
c. As Firstborn from the dead, He is Superior to all others who shall experience resurrection and enter into this new realm.
d. As the Forerunner, He paved the way for others to follow.
e. As Firstfruit, He is the choice one… and an indicator that there are many more to come.
f. Paul writes all these things about Christ the Head of the Body so that it should be clear that in all things HE might have the preeminence.
g. All of these terms speak of Christ’s relationship to the new order of things… the New Man… the New Creation… the Church… God’s heavenly people.
7. Christ, the Head of the New Creation.
a. Christ is the beginning of a new order of spiritual life in the Church, by His resurrection and ascension.
b. Adam was associated with the original creation.
• The first Adam dragged humanity down into depravity and degradation.
c. Christ, the Second Adam is Head of a new race… and the beginning of a new creation.
• The Second Adam lifts up this new humanity with Him.
• Christ is now seated in the heavenlies, and He shares His position with the new creation… His body, the church.
• As Head of the church, the new creation, Christ is exalted in heaven as MAN… a glorified Man…
• What security! The first Adam fell and dragged us all down with him.
• But now, there could never be another fall… not with Christ as our new Head! Secure forever!
d. Christ died on the cross and settled the sin question and satisfied the Father’s justice. Forgiven… what a wonderful blessing.
e. But in His resurrection, He brings us beyond forgiveness to a foretaste of glory divine!
f. In God’s mind, when Christ ascended into heaven, He took us with Him… positionally.
g. Christ has entered into the holy of holies in heaven, and has paved the way for US to enter too… by faith!
h. This new relationship to God is infinitely superior to what Old Testament saints experienced.
i. We can by faith enter into God’s REST—knowing the score has been settled once and for all and forever…
j. We can dwell upon this new position in Christ… knowing that we are in Him… part of His Body. What marvelous things God has planned and provided for His Body!
k. We are united, not with the Jesus of the gospels… in His earthly ministry… in His period of humiliation and weakness. Rather, we are united with Christ in His resurrection power… and in His heavenly position!
l. It is His resurrection life and power that flows through His Body today. This is our great joy and delight!
m. IN Him, we have access to the Father… to that heavenly holy of holies… to the throne of grace…
n. And as we abide in Christ… abide in our high calling, FRUIT will be borne through us… not by mere human effort, but by the indwelling life and the power of the resurrection that is now ours!
o. This new order is not a restoration or reformation of the old man. Rather, the old man was crucified with Christ—and we are completely NEW creatures in Christ… a new man… a new race… following the Second Adam.
p. Christ is the Head, not of a restored or revised order… but of a NEW order… a new creation… soon to be followed by a literal creation of a new heavens and a new earth.
q. The New Testament revelation of Christ as Head of the Body is always seen in a context of resurrection and glory.
8. The practical side…
a. Since the church is a heavenly assembly, God has certain expectations from us…
b. Col. 3:1-2 tells us to set our affection there – on things above.
c. Col. 3:8-11 – having been raised with Christ the Head of the New Creation means we have new responsibilities.
d. Col. 3:15 – let the peace of God rule in our hearts—we are one Body!
e. We are told to store our treasures there… not on the things of the earth… where moths and rust doth corrupt.
f. We are to be looking unto Jesus… who is there… not the earthly Jesus of the gospels, but Jesus Christ as He is NOW: glorified, exalted, at the Father’s right hand… in heaven.
g. As we behold Christ in His present glory – we will be transformed into that same image by the Spirit of God.
h. These are not ethereal thoughts with little to no practical meaning in our everyday life. These truths ought to CONTROL our thoughts and motives and actions in this life! When this truth really sinks in, it is life dominating… life controlling… and life transforming!
HEADSHIP INVOLVES HIS WILL
1. The Headship of Christ over His Body is more than a theory.
2. It is intended to be exceedingly practical when one considers that Christ is called the Word in John 1:1.
a. The One who presides as Head of the Body is called the Word of God… and He has also revealed His will for that Body in the written Word… the Scriptures.
b. John 5:39 – The Scriptures bear witness of Christ.
• In the Word we have the mind of Christ… His will…
• If we truly seek to carry out the will of the Head, we MUST be sold out to the idea of being as Biblical as we can possibly be!
• The question that we should seek to answer is not “what are all the other churches doing?” OR “what do the people like or want us to do?” but rather, what saith the Lord? What does God’s Word say about the local church?
3. A local church can be said to be in submission to the Headship of Christ only insofar as it submits to the written Word of God.
a. All authority resides in the Word of the Head.
b. The church is not a democracy. Christ rules.
c. Congregational rule is not what the Bible teaches. The people don’t rule — Christ rules! The church is not governed through a popular vote.
d. When the people rule, God’s purpose for the local church is violated (Rev.3:14-20). Christ is no longer in a position of preeminence… but is on the outside looking in…
e. Christ rules! And He does so through His objective Word.
f. It is not up to us to come up with our own ideas as to what is church or what it is to emphasize.
g. It is not up for us to decide. It is up to us to READ what is written and thus follow the will of our Head.
h. The pastor and the board of elders are said to rule in I Tim. 5:17 – but only inasmuch as they are submitted to the Word of God. And thus, the real authority does not reside in them, but in Christ through His Word.
4. The will of the Head has been recorded. The Head has TOLD us what His Body is to emphasize…
a. The pattern for the local church was established in the book of Acts (2:41-47) and its function, mission, ministry, and purpose are revealed in the epistles.
b. Evangelism, doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread—the Lord’s Table, and prayer.
c. This is God’s pattern. Let’s stick to it.
d. In fact, the Scriptures contain ALL that is needed for the life and godly growth of a church (II Pet.1:3-4).
e. Modern churches are altering that pattern—so that the church is becoming a country club… a social club… a soup kitchen… a political action committee… sports zone… entertainment center…
f. That is wandering from the pattern. The pattern the Head recorded for us is clear: the emphasis is on SPIRITUAL things…
5. Since the Head of the Body has given us His Word, the will of the Head can be known and practiced.
a. Most of it is recorded for us in the Word.
b. His will doesn’t need to be discovered (as if it were hidden); it needs to be read and obeyed.
c. As the members of the Body saturate their minds and hearts with His Word, they are transformed into the image of Christ (II Cor.3:18). As we follow His pattern – His purpose for our lives is carried out.
d. The thinking of those believers will be in harmony with the mind of Christ (I Cor.2:15-16).
e. Instead of being conformed to the philosophies of the world, they will be transformed into Christlikeness (Rom.12:1-2).
f. Their minds being renewed will thus be enabled to prove (practice) that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
g. The Head rules in an assembly when its members have offered themselves to His service as living sacrifices are filled with the Spirit, and are (by faith) dead to self will.
h. When the Body members get self out of the way—the will and life and character of the indwelling Christ will be manifested through us—which in turns exalts our Head – the Lord Jesus.
Head and Body
Introduction:
1. We looked at the concept of headship a couple of weeks ago and noted that headship involves authority and unity.
2. There is ONE Head. That one Head is in absolute authority over the body. That Head is Christ… and He rules the Body.
3. One Head also implies unity… unity around the Head. There are many members with many various functions, but they are in sync with each other because they are in sync with the Head.
4. Today we are going to look at a few other aspects of Headship:
a. One Head; one will… not my will but Thine…
b. One Head; one life… Christ in you… to live is Christ…
c. One Head; one purpose… with one mouth may glorify God…
d. One Head; one power… power of the resurrection…
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE BODY
A. The Gap Between the Head and the Body
1. The Head has been raised from the dead into a new realm – into the heavenlies.
a. Col. 1:18 – the firstborn from the dead.
b. There was no church when Christ was on earth during His period of humiliation… His earthly ministry.
c. Christ was not the Head of the Body. There was no Head or Body.
d. But Christ rose from the dead into a new realm: glory!
e. He arose from the dead in a glorified human body as HEAD of this New Man… the church.
f. Eph. 1: 20-23 – it was the resurrected Christ who was GIVEN as Head of the Body.
2. The Body has been raised into a new realm spiritually and positionally.
a. Eph. 2:5-6 – the born again believer of this age has been raised up spiritually WITH Christ in heavenly places.
b. Col. 3:1 – we have been raised up with Him…
c. The church, the Body is an assembly of born again believers… every one of which has been raised up spiritually.
d. Hence, the church is a heavenly body… God’s heavenly people.
e. Heaven is our home; our citizenship is there; it is our position by virtue of the fact that we are now IN CHRIST who is there.
3. But the Body is still living in a cursed earth, physically.
a. Our head is in heaven, but the Body is on earth.
b. The Head has been raised into immortality; to incorruption; to a glorified human state as the God-Man.
c. But the Body is still on earth, in mortal bodies, dealing with corruption… both physically and spiritually.
d. The Body is still infected with SIN… every member has a sin nature… and yet, every member also has a new nature as part of the new creation.
e. The Head dwells in the blissful environment of heaven, while His Body lives (physically) in a world system that is anti-God; anti-Christ; and takes out its wrath against Christ on any manifestation of Christ-likeness demonstrated through His Body.
f. This creates massive problems for the Body today: sin, worldliness, manifestation of the flesh rather than a manifestation Christ, and often persecution when the Body does manifest Christ.
g. In one sense, there is a huge disconnect between Christ the Head who is in heaven, and the Body which is on earth.
h. The Head and its Body are in two completely different environments… in two different realms.
i. What an apparent disparity:
» Heaven for the head/earth for the Body;
» immortality/mortality; incorruption/corruption;
» glorified human body/suffering and sickly human body; heavenly bliss/cursed earth;
» sinless perfection/struggling sin nature;
4. Dwelling on this disparity is cause for great discouragement.
a. One might be led to believe that the Head is far away; disengaged from His Body;
b. One might develop a “detached” mentality that is so prevalent in the evangelical world today:
» The Head is way up in heaven and He is coming some day for His Body.
» Until then we are on our own to struggle the best we can until He returns to take us home.
» Hence, an attitude is developed that sees this life as almost a waste of time… just bidding our time until it’s over…and THEN real life begins.
» Not so. This life is important to God. Our new life… our abundant life in Christ… our eternal life does not begin when we die and go to heaven. It begins the moment we are born again!
» God does not want us to live as if we were “detached” from the Head! He wants us to be engaged with our Head… involved with what He is doing… so that we can say, “For to me to live is Christ!” Today! Now! This life is Christ… or should be!
» Christ is near and not afar off. The whole concept of head and body is designed to highlight this truth!
c. Some turn to one form of legalism or another.
» They are hoping that if we can behave better… perhaps we can get closer to Christ our Head… and bridge the gap.
» This is what the Judaizers were teaching in Colossae.
» Some assemblies develop a set of do’s and don’ts, and if you follow that list meticulously, then you are allegedly closer to Christ.
» Being obedient to a set of man made rules does not mean that we are close to the Head. The Sadducees and Pharisees were obedient to their rules… but they were far from God! They drew nigh with their mouths, but their heart was far from God!
» It is so very possible to be busy DOING things for Christ and yet have no close personal relationship to Him! Martha was guilty of that.
» Service FOR Christ is no substitute for a relationship WITH Christ.
» Service alone isn’t going to bring us close to Christ our Head.
d. Some struggle and fail so many times they give up… and some eventually return to the world.
» If our concept of the Head/Body relationship is that Christ is far away… detached… and the only way to draw near is by being good…
» And if we think that being good is something that rests on our shoulders… by our efforts… then we are doomed for failure.
» As believers, we KNOW the heavenly walk that the Head expects for His Body…
» And how discouraging to KNOW what kind of walk the Head expects… and to DESIRE to walk that way… and yet to discover that that heavenly walk is way beyond our grasp… and every effort we exert to produce such a life eventually leads to failure!
» A close relationship between the head and Body will never be accomplished through self effort.
e. Others know virtually nothing about the Risen Savior, and devote themselves to learning about Christ in the gospels and attempt to imitate His earthly life…
» With the best of intentions, they hope to develop a relationship to Christ by imitating His earthly life.
» Imitating Christ’s earthly life is SELF attempting to demonstrate how Christ like it can be.
» God doesn’t want us to imitate Christ’s life. He wants our life to BE Christ… not I but Christ! For to me to live is Christ!
» The Christian life… being close to our Head is Christ living His life through us… and manifesting His life through His Body… so it is no longer I but Christ.
» We are not to IMITATE His life by self effort. God doesn’t want us to imitate Christ’s life.
» Rather, God wants to REPRODUCE Christ’s life in us as we yield to the Holy Spirit.
» It is God working in you… not you working for God.
B. God’s Means of Closing that Gap: FAITH
1. The Head is in heaven and the Body is on earth…
a. To the natural eye, there is an infinite gap between the two. Never the twain shall meet! God seems afar off… as far as the heavens are above the earth!
b. The works system is so INGRAINED in us!
» The unsaved man thinks he has to DO something to earn his way up to God.
» Even the untaught believer adopts this view. Even after being saved by faith, we often assume that to have a close relationship to God we have to DO something spectacular to prove to Him our love and dedication.
» Martha as an individual was BUSY DOING FOR the Lord… and she missed out on the one thing that was necessary… fellowship and communion WITH the Lord!
» Churches make that same mistake… assuming that the more activity that takes place… the more LIFE of Christ is being manifested through the Body. Not so.
» Activity is not necessarily demonstrations of LIFE… of the life of Christ.
» It CAN be a demonstration of the flesh… human effort… misguided zeal…
c. The church at Laodecea is an example of an assembly where there was much activity… (Rev. 3:14-22)
» They were busy working and Christ observed their works… their activity… their business… (vs.15a)
» They were evidently ministering to each other on a horizontal level… man to man — for all their earthly needs were being met… they had need of nothing.
» Vs. 20 – but this body was not connected to Christ the Head. He was on the outside… desiring fellowship… desiring communion with them… but they were too busy with their programs and their own plans to spend time with Him!
» Their activity made the church APPEAR to be alive and healthy… but the spiritual reality was far different. They were in fact wretched, miserable, blind, and naked!
» This is an ever present danger in our day and age… and in our culture… a culture of self sufficiency… a culture of success… to substitute business with life.
» This is why I stand so opposed to the church growth movement… which thrives on using business techniques in the church.
» And they DO seem to work on an organizational level… business skills are put to work… administrative skills are put to work… advertising is incorporated… proven Madison Avenue techniques are put to work…
» Human talent and skill can MAKE an organization successful… but that successful organization could at the same time be DEVOID of the life of Christ and the power of God… forms of godliness that deny the power thereof!
» I have seen it work. I have read their books describing how others can put these techniques to work in their church… and become a successful business organization.
» But successful business techniques often translate into a miserable failure when it comes to the functioning of the BODY of Christ as a spiritual organism.
2. The Body is healthy ONLY to the degree to which its individual members are yielded… surrendered… and submissive to the Head…
a. Eph. 1:23 – When that is the case, the body is full of the fullness of HIM… not full of itself, but full of Him… not full of its own ideas or activities… or its own will… but full of Christ…
b. This body is healthy when we all walk in humility before God, yielded, and demonstrate the mind of Christ: Not my will but Thine be done! Not I but Christ! He must increase but I must decrease!
c. When the members share that mindset, the Body is full of Christ.
d. When the Body is full of Christ, there is NO GAP between the Head and the Body… perfect union and intimate connection… the way a body SHOULD be!
» His power is operating
» His life and His character are manifested
» His will is being carried out
» His name is exalted and glorified
3. But God has provided the means for that gap to be closed…FAITH; trust; resting; abiding.
a. Rom. 12:1-2 – It involves putting our all on the altar of sacrifice for God’s glory.
» Have you come to that place in your Christian life?
» Is there something you are withholding from the Lord? Something you are unwilling to let go of?
» If so, you are missing out on the very power of God in your life!
» AND you are hindering what God wants to do through His Body!
» Yielding to God involves an end to our earthly self life… it is the crucified life…
» Until we let go of self will… and put our all on the altar, we will be earthbound… left to struggle in the flesh… and unable to experience the power of the resurrection in our lives… and unable to experience a close relationship to the Risen Savior…
» There is a disconnect between the Head in heaven, and a member of His Body on earth. That hinders God.
b. I John 3:6 – Abiding in Christ by faith is God’s answer.
» The one who abides in Him sinneth not!
» That place of full surrender… yieldedness… putty in God’s hands… willing to do, say, or be whatever He desires for us… is a place of spiritual safety and health.
» Notice that “sinning not” is linked to our relationship to Christ… an abiding relationship…
» By faith, the yielded member… and therefore, the yielded Body, will experience Christ… His power and life will flow through that Body… and that Body will manifest the life and character of the Head.
» The branch that abides in the Vine will produce much fruit. The believer who abides in Christ will not be sinning.
» Are you struggling with sin? Then stop trying to conquer that sin on your own… and START believing Christ.
» Christ has already defeated our foes… the world, the flesh, and the devil… our sin nature is a defeated enemy.
» BELIEVE it. Trust God. Rest in Christ. And allow yourself to be FILLED with the fullness of God. And by faith – the power and fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in your life. This is God’s means of victory
» That which is true for the individual member is also true for the assembly of believers corporately too.
» If we want to fulfill God’s purpose for us as a church – that goal will be fulfilled only to the degree that we are abiding in Christ… and thus by faith, connected to the Head… resting in our heavenly position.
» THEN fruit is produced in us by the Holy Spirit.
» As a church, we can be busy starting soup kitchens, establishing a school, forming committees and countless ministries… and it COULD all be for nought…
» This is naught but useless frenetic energy of the flesh – unless the Body is being directed by the Head, empowered by the Spirit and filled with the fullness of God.
4. All of this is involved in individuals ABIDING in Christ…
a. When that is the case, the Body is as close to the Head as a branch is to the Vine…
b. When this is the case, then Christ’s life, power, and will is manifested in and through the Body…
c. FAITH enables the Body which is on earth to experience a connection to our Head which is in heaven.
d. As a church, a body of born again believers, we ARE connected to the Head. Each one of us has been baptized into His Body by the Spirit.
e. This is our heavenly calling… IN Christ… Positionally, we are as close to the Head as one can get: we are His Body!
f. But not every believer DWELLS in his position. Not every believer sets his affections on things above… or reckons himself to be dead to this world… and that HINDERS the Body from being filled with the fullness of Christ.
g. But when we DO concentrate on Christ and our relationship to Him, THEN His life and power will RADIATE through His body…
h. And that is what we are here for…
i. This results in fruit to His glory because it is His work in His Body.
j. His love for the lost being manifested through us will result in personal evangelism… each one of us…
» Some churches have one evangelist come to speak to the church.
» I prefer to have the assembly gather for worship and edification… and then send out 150 taught and edified evangelists into the community when this service is over!
» If we are connected to Christ, then His love for the lost will be manifested through us…
» This doesn’t require renting out the local football stadium for a high pressure evangelistic meeting once every couple of years. This is how a business organization operates.
» Rather, it means that there will be hundreds of evangelistic meetings… perhaps over a cup of coffee at a coffee shop with a neighbor… perhaps at a soccer game… perhaps in the cafeteria at work… perhaps after school with some classmates, one on one…
» This is how the church as a living organism works…
THE WHOLE BODY IS CONNECTED TO THE HEAD
1. It is not just an individual finger connected to the Head; or a knee connected to the Head, or a hand connected to the Head… it is the WHOLE BODY that is to be connected to the Head.
a. What a hideous picture – a head with a finger or a knee attached randomly to it…
b. One would look at such a sight and remark, whoever designed such a thing? What was he thinking?
c. Well, that’s NOT the way God designed the Body.
d. But it is the way many believers operate today… the ones who go to St. Mattress church on Sunday… or perhaps they attend the Church of the Living Room… or Home Baptist Church…
e. There is a movement of believers today who are attempting to by pass the local church… and seek to have a relationship to God as individuals… or as individual families.
f. Some of this has arisen from the home school movement… which has blossomed into a home church movement…
g. This is contrary to God’s plan… the local church… His Body… His Bride…
h. Imagine the audacity of a finger attempting to bypass the body and connect itself directly to the Head… and refusing to submit to the place in the Body God designed it to fit? (I Cor. 12:18) That’s the folly of an individual believer attempting to abide in Christ on its own in this age!
i. Imagine the audacity of a hand (with several fingers) attempting to connect itself directly to the Head… and refusing to submit to the place in the Body God designed it to fit? That’s the folly of a family rejecting God’s plan for the local church and having their own “family Bible church.”
j. That is NOT God’s plan.
k. I can understand the frustration of some. Some folks have had some pretty bad experiences in churches. Some have been stung… burned… and hurt. Some see much carnality in the churches.
l. But you don’t throw the baby out with the dirty bath water.
m. The local church—with all of its shortcomings… is STILL God’s plan for this age.
n. Eph. 5:26-27 – And in spite of all the wrinkles we see in the local church, how does God view the church… His Body? From His heavenly vantage point, it is “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing!”
» God sees the church in its heavenly position… cleansed… pure… holy…
» And it is PRECIOUS to Him; as a bride to the bridegroom!
» So be careful how you treat the Body…
» I Cor. 3:16-17 – He that defiles the Temple of God shall be destroyed by God! I’m not sure I understand all of what’s involved in that—but I know enough to not want to be found guilty of that!
» The Body is precious to God… holy and pure… chaste… heavenly.
» DO you see the Body of Christ in that light? We should… we should view God’s plan from our heavenly position… from eternity’s perspective… from heaven’s vantage point.
» To ignore the local church or treat it lightly is to ignore or treat lightly Christ Himself. It is His Body.
» We can’t see the Head; He’s in heaven. But we can see His Body on earth. We can’t minister to Christ directly… but we can minister to members of His Body.
» Our attitude towards Christ is reflected in our attitude towards His Body.
» I’m convinced that the believer who really loves Christ and desires to spend time with Him and be with Him, will also love His Body, the local church… and will desire to spend time with His Body as it assembles together.
» Christ and His Body are inseparable… like the bridegroom and his bride!
» Our love for Christ will be demonstrated and manifested in our love for and ministry to His Body… the local church.
» May God help this truth to sink deeply into our minds and hearts.
» Eph. 3:9-10 – God manifests His wisdom to men and angels as they observe how the BODY functions and fellowships together… not just a couple of Hebrew Christian families meeting together… nor is it a few wealthy upper crust, blue blood families meeting together… nor is it an ethnic community meeting together to share their ethnicity and culture… nor is it an assembly of Harvard grads, home schoolers, factory workers, baseball fans, nor is it a group of poor migrant farmers meeting together to pray.
» The church is a body of believers from ALL walks of life meeting together… folks so different from each other, they really shouldn’t be ABLE to get along, but they do…
» And this diverse Body functions in harmony and unity when the individual members are all focused on Christ… the Risen Savior… walking the same narrow way… helping each other in love… as a spiritual family…
» Diversity tears things apart in the world. Look at Iraq. Look at America! But diversity works beautifully in the Body of Christ… when we acknowledge His Headship…
» And this is the glory of this age! Christ in you, the hope of glory!
HEADSHIP INVOLVES HIS WILL
1. The Headship of Christ over His Body is more than a theory.
2. It is intended to be exceedingly practical when one considers that Christ is called the Word in John 1:1.
a. The One who presides as Head of the Body is called the Word of God… and He has also revealed His will for that Body in the written Word… the Scriptures.
b. John 5:39 – The Scriptures bear witness of Christ… who He is… what He is like… how He thinks…
» In the Word we have the mind of Christ… His will…
» If we truly seek to carry out the will of the Head, we MUST be sold out to the idea of being as Biblical as we can possibly be!
» The question that we should seek to answer is not “what are all the other churches doing?” OR “what do the people like or want us to do?” but rather, what saith the Lord? What does God’s Word say about the local church?
3. A local church can be said to be in submission to the Headship of Christ only insofar as it submits to the written Word of God.
a. All authority resides in the Word of the Head.
b. The church is not a democracy. Christ rules.
c. Congregational rule is not what the Bible teaches. The people don’t rule — Christ rules! The church is not governed through a popular vote. — Christ rules!
d. When the people rule, God’s purpose for the local church is violated (Rev.3:14-20). Christ is no longer in a position of preeminence… but is on the outside looking in…
e. Christ rules! And He does so through His objective Word.
f. It is not up to us to come up with our own ideas as to what a church is or what it is to emphasize.
g. It is not up for us to decide. It is up to us to READ what is written and thus follow the will of our Head.
h. The pastor and the board of elders are said to rule in I Tim. 5:17—but only inasmuch as they are submitted to the Word of God. And thus, the real authority does not reside in them, but in Christ through His Word.
4. Since the Head of the Body has given us His Word, the will of the Head can be known and practiced.
Most of it is recorded for us in the Word.
His will doesn’t need to be discovered (as if it were hidden); it needs to be read and obeyed.
As the members of the Body saturate their minds and hearts with His Word, they are transformed into the image of Christ (II Cor.3:18). As we follow His pattern – His purpose for our lives is carried out.
» The thinking of those believers will be in harmony with the mind of Christ (I Cor.2:15-16).
» Instead of being conformed to the philosophies of the world, they will be transformed into Christ-likeness (Rom.12:1-2).
» Their minds being renewed will thus be enabled to prove (practice) that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
5. The Head rules in an assembly when its members have offered themselves to His service as living sacrifices are filled with the Spirit, and are (by faith) dead to self will.
When the Body members get self out of the way – the will, the power, the character, and the indwelling life of Christ will be manifested through us—which in turn exalts our Head—the Lord Jesus.
The heavenly Christ LIVES in and through His Body on earth – as a witness of His power to save a soul… and transform a life… and brings glory to God.
With all of the problems and difficulties involved in Body life and functioning together—this goal is worth it all!
If you love God, you will be involved in what He is doing on earth today: manifesting His Son through the local church!
If you love the Head, you will be faithful to assemble together with and minister to His Body… the local church.
This is a life worth living… the crucified, yet resurrected life.
The church… the Body is dead to this world, yet functions in the world and is connected intimately and organically to the Risen, ascended, glorified, ascended Savior!
When we as members of the Body of Christ are willing to put our all on the altar, put self out of the way, THEN the resurrection power and indwelling LIFE of our Risen Head is manifested to the world for His glory!
The Preeminence of Christ:
In Creation and the New Creation
The Divine Purpose: That He Might Become Preeminent
“In order that He Himself might become the preeminent One.”
NOTES FROM THE GRAMMAR:
a. “He” is the intensive autos, and should be understood to mean “he himself, he and no other” has become the Preeminent One.
• The idea is preeminence belongs to Him and only Him.
• This is highlighted here to serve Paul’s purpose in writing the letter.
• Paul’s purpose in Colossians:
» The Gnostic like false teachers were teaching that Christ was merely one of many emanations from God and that He was NOT the preeminent One.
» Paul affirms that Christ IS in fact the preeminent One—in all things and in every realm!
b. That: the final clause which speaks of God’s purpose: ἵνα γένηται ἐν πα̂σιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων.
• God’s purpose is stated here.
• Christ rose from the dead SO THAT He might become the preeminent One…
• God had a plan for His Son – to make Him the Preeminent One.
c. Γίνομαι – Ginomai – the word translated “might have” is ginomai in Greek, and means to “become.”
• This is different from saying that Christ always was preeminent in all things.
• The particular KIND of preeminence is linked back to Christ as the Firstborn from the dead.
• Christ is BOTH the firstfruits of the resurrection (first one) and firstborn from the dead (most important one).
• He was the first human being to experience death and then to be raised into the glorified state. He is first both in time and in dignity.
• Here Paul states one of God’s purposes for Christ’s resurrection: so that Christ might BECOME preeminent.
• This implies that He was NOT the preeminent One… but BECAME so in His resurrection.
PAUL’S POINT:
a. Paul is not saying that Christ’s nature changed. He has always been Divine and preeminent in that sense.
b. But something DID change for Christ in His resurrection: His role and position.
• In the resurrection and ascension, Christ BECAME the HEAD of the Body.
• In His resurrection and ascension, it was God’s purpose that His preeminence would extend to realms beyond… in the heavenlies… as the God-Man.
• It was the Father’s purpose to raise the Son from the dead SO THAT the Son might once again be seated at His right hand in that place of preeminence in glory itself!
c. On earth, Christ demonstrated His preeminence in the old creation.
• Col. 1:15 – even during His earthly period of humiliation, He was still the firstborn of every creature.
• He was first over the old creation.
• He demonstrated that He was Lord of the old creation. The wind and the waves obeyed Him. Sickness melted away at His voice.
• Vs. 16 – In fact, He was Creator! All things were made by Him. (note the connection between 15c & 16a – FOR)
d. By rising from the dead He extended His preeminence into the new creation… into the heavenly sphere… the realm of glory.
• In rising from the dead, His preeminence became universal… over the old and new creations. He is exalted above all—and in every realm!
• This was one of God’s purposes in the resurrection of Christ: that He might become the preeminent One in ALL things… and in every realm… on earth and in heaven…
• BECAME: (ginomai) – Christ BECAME the Head and Preeminent One in the church by means of the resurrection. With respect to the old creation, He was ALWAYS the preeminent One… the Great I Am… Lord.
• But He BECAME Head over the church… the new creation… and new creatures… by means of His bodily resurrection out from among the dead.
» He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven so that He might take that position as the Preeminent One… over all creation… and the new creation… visible and invisible… over all creatures… heaven and earth… all things!
» Phil. 2:9 – He was raised from the dead and then ascended into heaven where He was exalted above all and given a name above every name!
» Heb.1:4 – He obtained a more excellent name than any angel!
» Of course, Paul is speaking about Christ here as the God-Man.
a.) He was eternally LORD of heaven.
b.) Angels worshipped Him as Creator and God before the incarnation.
c.) But Paul is speaking about Christ with respect to His relationship to humanity… as the God-Man.
d.) When He became a man, He emptied Himself and entered a period of mortality and humiliation.
e.) But when He rose from the dead – He BECAME the Preeminent One in glory as MAN—the Man in glory—the God-Man and Redeemer!
f.) And having gained this victory, He is able to bring many sons to glory too! He is thus the forerunner… the firstfruits of the resurrection… and has paved the way for us to follow. Praise God!
THE SPHERE OF HIS PREEMINENCE: IN ALL THINGS
In all things:
a. The clause (that he might have preeminence in all things) seems to relate back to the entire section on the glory of Christ—way back to verse 15.
b. By means of the resurrection, the Son was exalted far above all principalities and powers.
c. He extended his preeminence into ALL realms… and ALL things.
Salvation: He alone is the Redeemer (vs. 14)
a. In HIM we have redemption and in no other!
• It was HIS blood that procured forgiveness of sins—and no other sacrifice will do.
• There is no other name under heaven (Acts 4:12).
• He is THE way (John 14:6) He isn’t one among many religious founders: Mohammed; Confucius, Moses… He is in a class by Himself. He is the ONLY Savior. Preeminent.
b. Later Paul notes that Christ as Savior and Redeemer is the preeminent One in that His reconciliation also extends to “all things” both in heaven and on earth. (1:21)
c. He is preeminent as Savior. In fact, the ONLY ONE! (Isa. 43:11)
Creation: He is Creator! He is before all things! He is the firstborn of all creation (vs.15) Preeminent!
a. Note that this section dealing with His supremacy in the old creation begins with “who is” (vs.15).
b. In the realm of physical creation, He is preeminent: Creator; before all; by Him all things consist; firstborn! Lord!
c. The only creatures who don’t seem to grasp this fact are humankind—fallen, sinful creatures like us… who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
4. New Creation: (vs.18a)
a. Note that this section dealing with His supremacy in the New Creation also begins with “who is”… the beginning of a new paragraph which speaks of the new creation (vs.18b).
b. In this new realm… in the New Creation, Christ is:
• Head of the Body—a whole body of new creatures.
• He is the beginning (arche – ruler; chief; first one)!
• He is the firstborn from the dead!
• All of this speaks of His preeminence in this new realm.
PREEMINENCE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
1. The church is part of this New Creation.
a. It is called the New Man in Eph. 2:15.
b. Each member has been spiritually raised up WITH Christ in His resurrection: the new birth.
c. They have also been raised into a new position: In heavenly places (Eph. 2:5-6)
d. It consists of born again members who are called new creatures in Christ (II Cor. 5:17).
e. All of this “newness” is linked to Christ’s resurrection. In fact, the church itself was NEW in that sense. It did not exist before the ascension.
f. Paul states that Christ BECAME the Preeminent One in this new realm… in the church by means of resurrection and exaltation.
g. We have a RISEN Savior who has entered into a new sphere… the realm of glory… and raises up His Body to SHARE in His heavenly position.
h. In that new realm, Christ is to have all the preeminence: in the church.
i. This is awesome truth revealed.
2. But it is not just doctrinal information. It is quite practical too.
a. That He might have all preeminence in this new realm: the Body of Christ in the church… in THIS church!
b. This is really what it means to be a separatist: we are separated UNTO HIM. (from sin, the world, apostasy, yes, but UNTO Him)
• We so often think of separation from the negative perspective. (One who doesn’t participate in ecumenism; rejects neo-evangelicalism; the charismatic movement; heresy.) (separation FROM)
• But it is the POSITIVE side of separation that is most important: separated UNTO CHRIST.
• The separated one has his eyes on Christ.
• Separation stems from an absolute love for Christ and a desire to please Him in everything… to honor Him… and to give HIM preeminence in all things.
• If other folks don’t want to be separated unto Christ, that’s up to them. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord… give HIM first place AS LORD… He gets the preeminent position… in our lives and in this church.
c. Col. 3:23 – whatever we do here is to be done heartily as UNTO HIM… and not unto men. We serve the Lord Christ (vs. 24).
d. We are commanded to be HOLY for He is holy.
• Holiness is being separated unto Him.
• As holiness and purity is upheld here, in individual lives and corporately as a church body, we are giving Christ the preeminence that He deserves.
e. He doesn’t have the preeminence here because we painted the words on the wall.
• That is an expression of our desire to give Him preeminence, but it is certainly not a fulfillment of that desire.
• It is a mockery to SAY Christ has preeminence here… and then for us to behave as if WE had the preeminence.
• Christ has preeminence in the church we walk before Him in humble obedience… bowing before His word and His will. (Why call ye me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?)
f. Christ has preeminence here when each one of us keeps SELF on the cross… and the resurrected Christ expresses His LIFE and will in this body through yielded, surrendered, Spirit filled members.
g. We demonstrate our desire to give Him preeminence when we sing hymns that are in harmony with His Word and exalt Him… not by singing sensual or worldly music that appeals to the flesh… self reigns then.
h. We demonstrate our desire to give Him preeminence by our deportment in the Lord’s house… by what we say… what we wear… how we behave… and the respect we give to Him here.
i. When the church body assembles together, it isn’t like going to McDonalds. We come here to honor God; show respect to Him; to express worship; reverence; to be still and know that He is God. This is different than anywhere else in the world.
j. This is REALLY what’s wrong with the new way of worship today: the casual, come as you are, anything goes, don’t rock the boat, emphasis on entertainment, psychology and meeting felt needs, user-friendly, non-confrontational kind of church. It is man-centered rather than Christ-centered. MAN has preeminence in that setting, not Christ. And it is all so VERY obvious… Do they really think the Lord doesn’t notice?
3. If Christ is to have preeminence here, then MEN are NOT to have preeminence here. The very meaning of preeminence forbids it’s being “shared.” You can only have ONE master.
a. II John 9 – Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence and is soundly rebuked by John for his self-centeredness, pride, and divisiveness and for treating members of Christ’s body so poorly.
b. No man is to have preeminence in the church: Christ only. Churches built around the personality of the pastor or any other man, do not exalt Christ. They exalt man.
c. Gal. 6:3 – we think we are something; God says we are nothing! (Imagine preaching this verse in Schuller’s Glass Cathedral?!) Christ is something… we are nothing.
d. Eph. 3:8 – we are to be like Paul and consider ourselves to be the least… and give Christ the proper place He deserves.
e. Col. 3:11 – in the Body, Christ is all. Period.
f. Martin Luther once said, “God created the world out of nothing and as long as we are “nothing” God can make something out of us!”
g. Our real value comes only in our relationship to Christ… we are in Him… We are but dust… but a piece of dust for whom Christ died to raise up… and indwell… and manifest HIMSELF through us!
4. The preeminence of Christ in our lives is demonstrated by the preeminence we give to His Body.
a. Good Samaritan illustration… (Imagine if you saw Fred lying on the side of the road, beaten, wounded, bleeding, writhing in pain. Could you really say, I love Fred but I don’t like his body, therefore, I will not help him. Fred is my preeminent friend, but I am not so concerned about his body, so I think I will walk on by and ignore his body… but I really like Fred!)
b. If Christ is preeminent in our thinking, then will His Body be. The Head and the Body are inseparable. Don’t try to separate them in our thinking.
c. When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the Body of Christ, Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?!”
d. As we minister to members of the Body of Christ, everything is to be done on the principle of grace.
• We minister to that member for his good… but ultimately, and above and beyond that, we minister for the glory of Christ!
• The member himself may not be worthy of such good treatment and care, but Christ is! By exercising grace to His Body, we are demonstrating the preeminence Christ has in our lives.
• We want CHRIST to be magnified.
• Our goal of ministering to His Body is not the individual member alone, but that “Christ be formed in you”… so that Christ is magnified… that that member might be conformed to HIS image for HIS glory.
e. If Christ is preeminent, we should desire that the Body be a good witness OF CHRIST in the community…
holy, pure, just, chaste, gracious… (I Pet. 2:9 – to show forth HIS praises)
f. We should BE and DO everything we can toward that end… as God so leads.
5. A Church where Christ is truly HEAD… the Preeminent One will not go over well in our country in our day and age.
a. Here’s a warning, a heads up: this kind of church is not what people are looking for today in the me generation.
• Folks call all the time seeking what they can GET out of the local church. How will it benefit me, my needs, my family, my goals in life?
• Folks are looking for friends, social activities, things for their kids to do; soccer teams; games; programs; etc.
• Folks call looking for a school; a day care center; etc.
• Folks call looking for the now well-entrenched expectation of a long menu of specialized ministry offerings to make them happy.
• I have yet to have a family call inquiring about the church and ask, “Is Christ central there? Is He the preeminent One in Salem Bible Church?”
b. We highlight only one item on our menu: Christ… the Risen and glorified Savior. If folks don’t like that, they will never like it here.
c. Christ IS to have all the preeminence… and by God’s grace it will stay that way.
d. All those “other things” people are looking for are just that… other things… minor sub points… peripheral issues… footnotes… not that they are wrong or evil… but ancillary to the Preeminent One.
e. The Bible is exceptionally clear. The church is to be Christ-centered, not man-centered. Pleasing Christ is our goal, not pleasing men. Putting the will of Christ in the central place, not the will, desires, and expectations of men.
• The Bible plan and pattern is exactly the OPPOSITE of what is being taught in Christian schools today: where the church is marketed like a product… and caters to the whims and wishes of the “customer.”
• The problem with the church marketing that has taken over the evangelical world (and in many fundamental circles!) is not that it doesn’t work. It is that it isn’t right. It is thoroughly MAN-centered… to the core.
• What could be more opposite the simple Christ-centered plan that God has ordained?
f. And this man-centered thinking has become nearly universal in the evangelical world. I am not exaggerating.
• Willow Creek. Their influence is stunning.
• Willow Creek Community Church (near Chicago), pastored by Bill Hybels, has formed its own association of churches, with 9,500 members. Last year, 100,000 church leaders attended at least one Willow Creek leadership conference.
• Saddleback Valley Community Church (south of Los Angeles), pastored by Rick Warren has had more than 250,000 pastors and church leaders from over 125 countries attend Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church seminars. More than 60,000 pastors subscribe to his weekly email newsletter.
g. I thank God for the godly men who warned me about this 25-30 years ago. They saw the early traces of man-centeredness in infiltrating into new-evangelical ministries way back then, and it disturbed them… and they warned us.
h. I could easily have been swept up by this new wave were it not for God’s grace in giving me such discerning teachers.
i. I thank God that they had the discernment to see it coming. But today you don’t need much discernment to see it: It is blatant… open… it is everywhere in the evangelical world. It has taken over the evangelical world… because it is so successful in the eyes of men. The flesh can do great things on its own… it can build empires, but in God’s sight it is but wood, hay, and stubble.
j. And churches who stand opposed to that tidal wave coming over our country—like this one—will eventually be relegated to the realm of the insignificant… only a tiny remnant hardly noticed by the world.
• But God notices. (Mal. 3:16-17)
• When we were on vacation the Lord led us to such a remnant of godly believers in Utah… tiny, but significant in God’s eyes—for CHRIST had the preeminence in that place and it was obvious.
k. Another problem we face as an assembly is that now that this new way of “doing church” has been around for a while, it has become the “norm” in the minds of many. It has created unbiblical expectations in the minds and hearts of many believers who know of nothing else.
l. Folks coming to our assembly and increasingly will consider it boring, quiet, lacking excitement, old fashioned, and not offering them the long menu of ministries they have grown to expect. I expect to see, as we have, a constant flow of such folks who come to sip, taste, and discover that we are not meeting their expectations, so they will drift on till they find what they are looking for.
m. But every once in a while, folks will come here who are genuinely hungry for truth… for His Word… for Christ.
• They will be tired of milk and will hungering for meat.
• They will grow weary of hearing men talk about what great things they did or are doing FOR Christ… and will hunger to learn about Christ Himself!
• There will be a few whose goal it is to KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection!
• They will be tired of the external excitement of loud music and high-energy programs… and will find true DELIGHT in God working in their hearts… thrilling them with a deeper knowledge of who HE is…
• And they will find real satisfaction in a ministry that lacks the high tech glitz, but centers on and focuses on CHRIST… the Risen, glorified Savior who alone can feed the hungry soul!
n. This church exists for such folks.
• We are committed to preaching Christ and giving HIM the preeminence.
• And folks looking for something other than that will never be happy here. But that’s okay. We are not trying to be all things to all men.
• But there will always be a remnant of folks who are looking for just this kind of emphasis…tired of feeding on chaff and hungry for the Bread of Life.
o. What other churches do is up to them. That’s not my responsibility. This church is. I only bring this up because we are surrounded by this new influence. It is not only in Chicago and LA… it is here in the Merrimack Valley too! And I don’t want to see our folks look horizontally to find out how a church should function.
p. We should look to Christ and His Word and follow His pattern for the local church regardless of what other churches are doing and regardless of how successful those other methods seem to be.
q. Jesus Christ is the Living Word. This book is the written Word. It is HIS will in print. It is His character and life in print. We give HIM the preeminence when we give His WORD preeminence…
• That’s why we have full-length sermons from the Word and not mini sermonettes.
• That’s why every time we meet we have a Bible study.
• That’s why we approach the Bible in a reverent manner.
• And every one of us can participate in exalting Christ and giving Him preeminence by BOWING our hearts in humble obedience and reverence before His Word every time we open it together!
• Unto HIM be glory in the church… throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR…
- He invites you to come to Him and trust in Him.
- BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.
- He shed His blood and died on the cross and paid the penalty for all of your sins. They are already paid in full… once and for all.
- He rose again… proving that the Father accepted His payment.
- He finished all the work… and has left NOTHING for you to do but by faith RECEIVE the gift… eternal life.
- Jesus said, “He that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”
- Won’t you come to Him today?
The Preeminence of Christ:
Divine and Human Responsibility
The Biblical Basis for a Christ-Centered Life
1. Ground we have covered in vs. 18:
a. Head of the Body – authority over the Body
b. The Resurrection and our Resurrected Head
c. A Heavenly Head and an Earthly Body
d. His Preeminence in the Body Corporately
2. Today we will look at Christ’s preeminence over individual members of His Body.
A Christ-Centered Life Is the Work of the Holy Spirit
1. It is not natural for CHRIST to have preeminence in a life. It is supernatural.
a. It is natural for SELF to have the preeminence.
b. Let’s face it, the three most important people in your life and mine are “me, myself, and I.”
c. It is natural to give self first place. It is not right, but it is natural. It is the way man in his natural state self operates.
d. And this isn’t learned behavior either. It is innate. Our fallen nature is programmed to think and operate this way. Little children behave this way: all by themselves!
e. This is universal. It is human nature. It is the same in every age and in every culture.
f. In the life of every son of Adam, SELF rules. Self has all the preeminence.
g. Matt. 6:1-2: This is true even in the lives of those who seem so sacrificial and have given their lives for others.
• Behind the good works of every unsaved man is SELF-reigning… self taking preeminence.
• In the life of every unsaved religious or moral man, there is inner craving for recognition, approval of men, applause, making a name for oneself, or even personal satisfaction.
• Every ounce of this is motivated by the old nature… the self life… which is always contrary to God… an inner desire for self exaltation.
• Jesus exposed this in the life of Pharisees. They were such men.
• Whether it is a Mother Theresa, a Mahatma Gandhi, good works are often done with impure motives… mixed motives at best.
• I Cor. 13:3 – Paul said that it is possible to give away all your goods to the poor and have your body burned as a martyr, and still do it without any real love…which is self sacrificing. No love for God… it can all be done out to EXALT self… so that people will think highly of you… admire you… praise you… perhaps write a book about you… make on the six o’clock news!
• It is human nature… it is NATURAL to give SELF the place of preeminence.
• It doesn’t help to pretend that this is not so. It is so.
2. The genuine manifestation of the preeminence of Christ in a life requires the supernatural work of God to overcome that ingrained tendency of the flesh within us. It requires the work of the Holy Spirit.
a. Even if a person truly DESIRES to make Christ preeminent in his life, and tries as hard as he can, he is doomed to failure.
• For whatever WE do, is in the end, a manifestation of OUR efforts and of the natural powers of the flesh…a manifestation of self and not a manifestation of Christ.
• The harder we work at it, the better imitation we can produce, but it’s still an imitation… a counterfeit Christian life.
• A religious man who is dedicated and works hard at it… even a saved man who is untaught and works hard at it, might be able to manufacture a life that could be passed off as a life where Christ is preeminent…it might look like the real thing… and he might be able to fool men.
• But God knows the difference between that which is genuine and a counterfeit Christian life… a counterfeit attempt at exalting Christ.
• NO matter how hard we try to produce “A Christ-like life wherein Christ has the preeminence” ourselves, the end product is always a work of the flesh… man’s best effort perhaps, but a counterfeit.
• Man at his best state is altogether vanity.
• There is nothing the flesh can produce that is ever pleasing to God.
• The old self life can be cultured; made religious; reformed; dressed up; become sophisticated… but its selfish nature can NEVER be changed by our efforts. That which is flesh is flesh. A leopard cannot change his spots.
b. The flesh can NEVER produce a Christ-centered life. It is the very nature of the flesh to be SELF-centered.
• The flesh is not opposed to producing a counterfeit Christ-centered life…
• But the flesh is always opposed to exalting Christ… though not at all opposed to religious efforts which ultimately exalt self.
• Rom. 7:18, 22-23 – And even in a regenerated mind, where a believer genuinely DESIRES to lead a Christ-centered life, on his own, how to perform it always escapes him… and he is doomed to failure.
• There is no good thing in the flesh, and the flesh is simply unable to produce REAL Christ-likeness… a life where Christ truly has preeminence.
• It isn’t a matter of will or desire. It is a matter of ability. They that are in the flesh CANNOT please God.
3. Christ is preeminent in our lives ONLY when we are filled with the Spirit… controlled by the Spirit of God.
a. The Holy Spirit came to fill us… but the purpose of Spirit filling is not to accentuate the Spirit, but Christ.
b. John 16:13-14 – the Spirit came to exalt Christ in every way.
c. Rom. 8:2 refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus. The role of the Holy Spirit is to make the indwelling life of Christ PREEMINENT in our lives… so that HIS life is manifested, not our old self life.
d. When the Spirit is in control of our lives, Christ will be on our heart.
• HE will be the preeminent One in our affections and our thinking.
• He will be the Object of our attention.
e. As we yield to the Holy Spirit and are filled with the Holy Spirit, then Christ’s life is magnified in and through our mortal bodies… to the glory of God.
• At any given moment, either Christ or SELF has preeminence in our lives.
• He has all the preeminence and we have none—or vice versa.
f. The Spirit’s ministry is to gradually conform us more to the image of Christ (II Cor. 3:18).
• Hence, there is a sense in which the place and preeminence of Christ in our lives ought to be GROWING and increasing.
• The longer we are filled with the Spirit… the more of Christ will be manifested in our lives… and the less of self.
• He increasingly has the preeminence in our lives until we can say, “For to me to live is Christ.”
• When that is the case, the preeminence of Christ is not just a slogan but a reality.
• And yet in another sense, we will NEVER arrive at that point completely… there is always MORE to go…
• There will always be more ugly expressions of self and our old man that need to be put back on the cross…and kept there by faith.
• We should always be pressing toward the mark of our high calling… which is Christ-likeness… till we reach glory.
• While we will NEVER obtain perfection in this life, as we grow in Christ, those periods where self is reigning should be less and less frequent… with Christ reigning for longer periods uninterrupted…
g. When we are filled with “self,” the ugliness of the flesh is manifested.
h. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that our old nature is held in check… reckoned to be dead… so that instead of SELF sitting on the throne and having the preeminence, it is CHRIST sitting on the throne and having preeminence.
i. In the life of the Spirit filled believer, it is CHRIST who is to have the preeminence, not self… not even the Holy Spirit, but Christ.
j. The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to keep our eyes on Christ… and in turn, as we keep our eyes on Christ, we can count on the power of the Holy Spirit to keep on filling us…
k. Sir Robert Anderson: “In proportion therefore as mind and heart are fixed on Christ, we may count on the Spirit’s presence and power, but if we make the Holy Spirit Himself the object of our aspirations and worship, some false spirit may counterfeit the true and take us for a prey.”
4. A life where Christ is truly PREEMINENT… a life where Christ is exalted and not self… requires the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit… the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
a. As we keep our eyes on Christ by faith… as we behold His glory, we are changed into that same image… even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
b. The more we are changed into His image… the more of Christ is manifested through us… the more preeminence Christ really HAS in our lives.
c. Gal. 4:19 – the ministry of the Spirit is to FORM CHRIST in us… His character, holiness, love, mercy, justice, righteousness, grace and truth.
d. The goal is that Christ is seen in us… no longer I but Christ. He is to have all the preeminence.
e. This is all the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
A Christ-Centered Life Involves the Human Will
1. The example of salvation/regeneration.
a. Regeneration is completely the work of the Holy Spirit.
b. We are born of the Spirit. (John 3:6)
c. It is a supernatural work we will never fully comprehend. It is like the work of the wind… we see its effects and know of its reality… but we don’t know how…
d. The new birth is not of blood, of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man… but of God. It is a supernatural work. (John 1:13)
e. Yet man’s responsibility is to believe and receive (John 1:12).
f. If man will BELIEVE (trust God), then the Spirit of God will regenerate that person… and in that order!
g. God does the work, but we are to BELIEVE… we are to entrust our eternal destiny into God’s hands…
h. If we come in faith, the Spirit of God will regenerate us. If we believe, God will save us. He saves ANYONE who will come and turns none away.
i. Jesus put it this way: “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:29)
j. All those who come to Christ in simple, childlike faith will be saved… and experience peace with God… and rest for their soul.
k. So COME and be saved is the gospel message. It is that simple.
l. When we come, the Spirit regenerates us and Christ is now our Savior… not our Judge to condemn us, but our Savior.
2. When a person DOES come to Christ and is saved, he is simultaneously regenerated by the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ, and filled with the Spirit.
a. All of these supernatural works of the Spirit are once and for all works and are permanent… except the filling ministry.
b. As every true child of God sadly experiences, as time goes on, we often drift away… and lean on the flesh… and return to a life of flesh and self-centeredness.
c. Sometimes that occurs because of ignorance of God’s Word; sometimes it occurs gradually and is not even noticed… sometimes it is because we are tripped up by this or that sin…
d. But it happens…
e. And the result is that we have a child of God—a genuinely born again person—who is not filled with the Spirit… and hence Christ is not preeminent in his life.
f. A true believer: but carnal, worldly, self-centered.
3. Theologians from all different perspectives have some up with all kinds of methods of dealing with this problem:
a. Some revert to legalism—as did the false teachers in Colossae.
b. Some revert to psychology—as do many believers today.
c. Some revert to an unhealthy emphasis on the Holy Spirit—as do folks in the charismatic movement today.
d. Some rely on human ingenuity and goodness—as do the liberal theologians.
e. Religion seeks to reform this old man… and prune him down… but never gets at the root of the problem.
4. It is a very real problem… it occurs all too often. (Christ is Savior, but not preeminent… believers who are alive spiritually but are not living for the Lord…)
a. Theologians have invented a lot of different TERMS to describe ways to deal with this problem.
b. Some in Reformed circles even seem to imply that the problem doesn’t exist—they say that if you are justified you are sanctified… and if you are not sanctified, then you are not justified. (lack of recognition of positional truth)
c. It doesn’t help to pretend. The reality is that there ARE true believers in whose lives (at any given point) Christ is NOT preeminent.
d. It boils down to a simple choice: who is going to RULE in my life? Self or Christ? Who is the preeminent One in YOUR life?
5. Preeminence does not exist in degrees.
a. The term for preeminence in Col. 1:18 is only used once in the New Testament… and it means “to be first; to hold first place.”
b. There is no such thing as being “almost” preeminent or “partially” preeminent…
c. Christ is to be preeminent… He is Lord and doesn’t share that role with us!
d. One man noted a distinction between prominent or preeminent
• Would you say to your wife, “honey, you are prominent in all my affections?” She would then want to know, WHO ELSE is prominent in your affections?
• But if you said, “Honey, you are preeminent in my affections,” that would settle it. She is the ONLY one!
• Prominent conveys the idea of one important entity among other important entities.
e. Another man made distinction between three terms: place; prominence; and preeminence.
• Christ has a place in my heart. This is the believer who has a place for Christ in his life… and when convenient, and doesn’t interfere with other activities, Christ might even have first place. But if not, He always has some place… often tucked away and hidden… but present. Christ is one of many masters in this life. On occasion He is taken out, dusted off, and shown some respect!
• Christ is prominent in my life (among other prominent aspects of my life) This is the believer who is generally faithful… and Christ plays a prominent role in his life. Of course, there are other prominent slices of his life… while Christ is usually chosen over other things… He has general control over that life… but that is not always the case.
• Christ has preeminence – there is no other; he IS my life. This is the place of total surrender, where the believer walks in the Spirit consistently and Christ is thus given the preeminent position He deserves. Christ rules in that heart. There is no other.
» God is a jealous god. He tolerates no rivals.
» Isa. 45:21-23 – no others!
» This is the position Christ demands in the church and in the lives of every member of the Body of Christ. BOW before Him as Lord.
6. There is really only ONE rival to Christ having preeminence in our lives: SELF!
a. We sometimes think of His rivals as things in our lives: golf; skiing; money; entertainment; clothes; career; music; art; hunting; etc…
b. But those things are not really the problem. The game of golf isn’t the problem. The existence of money in the world isn’t the problem. Nor are the various forms of entertainment the problem.
c. Those are only SYMPTOMS of the problem. The real problem is SELF-rule… those “things” are merely manifestations of HOW we express self-rule in our lives.
d. The battle in the Christian life… that which hinders Christ from having the place of preeminence in our lives is not any of those things. It is not a battle between Christ and golf. It is a battle between Christ and me, myself, and I!
e. Legalism teaches: stop doing this or that…and then Christ will be preeminent. Not so. You are only dealing with the symptoms; you haven’t dealt with the ROOT of the problem.
f. The ROOT of the problem… the main hindrance to a Christ centered life is SELF.
g. If we want a Christ centered life, then we have to deal with the ROOT of the problem.
7. Theologians have come with all kinds of terms to describe how to deal with the self-life.
a. Second work of grace – used by various groups with several different—and confusing—meanings
b. A crisis experience: which implies that this occurs during a crisis in one’s life.
c. Making Christ Lord of our lives… even though such language never occurs in the Bible. He IS Lord. We don’t make Him so.
d. Keswick has come up with the terms, the crucified life.
e. Ron Hession refers to it as brokenness…
f. Hudson Taylor spoke of coming to an end of self.
g. Lewis Sperry Chafer called it dedication/consecration.
h. Andrew Murray called it Absolute Surrender.
i. Each of these expressions is legitimate and attempts to give a biblical concept a “name.”
8. Rather than inventing more terms and adding to the confusion, let’s just look at what the Bible actually SAYS and let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
a. The Scriptures DO address this issue… and we ought to KNOW what the Bible says.
b. A balanced, Christ-centered life – a life wherein Christ is truly exalted and glorified IS the work of the Holy Spirit. He conforms us to the image of Christ and exalts the Lord Jesus in our lives.
c. BUT—it also requires personal involvement on our part.
d. We don’t just let go and let God.
e. God expects us to USE our faculties: to think, trust, yield, and obey.
The Preeminence of Christ:
The Yoke
Introduction:
§ Last week we discussed the fact that a Christ-centered life is the work of the Holy Spirit… a supernatural work.
§ We also noted that WE have personal responsibility in this as well. It is God’s work in us, but it requires a response of faith.
§ We also discussed at length the one obstacle to that in the Christian life: SELF.
§ The battle for preeminence is between Christ and Self… who will rule and reign in our lives?
§ Self is the problem. Theologians have invented lots of different terms for ways to deal with this problem… and sometimes the terms are confusing.
§ Christ will NEVER be in the position of preeminence in our lives experientially until self is dealt with at the cross.
§ Let’s look at the Bible itself and the language GOD uses to describe our responsibility is living a Christ-centered life.
A. SUBMITTING TO HIS YOKE: Matt. 11:29-30—It is possible to be saved—to receive Christ’s salvation, but not to submit to His yoke.
1. Jesus uses the illustration of a YOKE… an illustration the people would be familiar with.
a. The people He addresses here were Jews who had lived under the bondage of the law and Pharisee’s form of legalism.
b. The Sadducees and Pharisees “bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men’s shoulders.” (Mt. 23:4)
c. In the days of the early church, the apostles referred to the law as a “yoke.” (Acts 15:10)
d. In the Old Testament, the law was a heavy yoke… bondage… that they were unable to bear. Those living under the law were heavy laden with the rigors of the law… and the traditions of men that were added to it.
e. The weariness of religion arises from the fact that its work is never done… no matter how many good works a man does, it’s not enough… the law demonstrated that with its system of continual sacrifice.
2. Christ made it clear in this passage, that there are TWO commands He gives.
a. Come unto Me – come in faith and be saved… and experience rest of soul… peace with God. This happens in a moment of time.
• The invitation to COME is an invitation to salvation.
• The Scriptures often use this concept as a synonym for “believe”
» John 6:37 – He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.
» John 6:35 – I am the bread of life. He that comes to me shall never hunger.
» Rev. 22:17 – The Spirit says, “Come; and let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.”
» Isa. 55:1 – “Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters…”
» Salvation really is that simple: COME to Christ in simple faith…
• Christ offers men RELIEF from the heavy burdens of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
• Christ invites men to come to Him and to enter into a personal relationship with Him.
• In vs. 20-24 Jesus rebukes cities of Israel for their unbelief and for their refusal to repent at the revelation given to them.
• Next Jesus turns to individuals and calls them to repentance… to change their minds and come to Him in faith.
• It is not an invitation to join a church; to change religions; or to a program.
• It is a call to come to Christ in faith—and all who come will be received and none turned away.
b. Take my yoke upon you – submit to my will completely; come to an end of your own will… your own goals and plans; your own life… This takes a lifetime to master…
• MY yoke; in contrast to a yoke of Law or the Sadducees and Pharisees.
• Our Reformed friends accuse us of being “lawless” because we teach the believer is not under the law.
• Not so. True, we are to throw off the yoke of the law… but we are not abandoning ALL yokes.
• Rather, we are exchanging yokes… from the law to Christ… from being yoked to stone tablets of Law to being yoked to a gracious Person.
• Paul put it this way: we are dead to the law so that we might be married to Christ. (Rom. 7)
• Jesus invites us to be yoked in HIS yoke… yoked together with Him.
• This yoke represents not salvation, but discipleship… submission to Christ in all that is involved in being a disciple.
• I Tim. 6:1 – “Let as many servants who are under the yoke count their own masters worthy…” A yoke speaks of being in submission to a master.
• “Learn of Me” = verb form of the noun for disciple. Take my yoke and be my disciple.
• Just as in the Great Commission: they were to make converts (salvation) and then to teach (make disciples). One can become a convert in a moment of time. But it takes a lifetime to LEARN of Christ… and to implement all that is involved in discipleship.
3. Christ was speaking here about the distinction between salvation and discipleship.
a. It is possible to be a disciple (a religious student) and not a true believer. Judas was such a man. Judas was a disciple for 3 ½ years—and was well taught—but was not saved. Churches are filled with such folks today.
b. It is also possible to be a believer (one who is born again) and not be a disciple… a disciplined one… not a well-taught student.
• Lot was a true believer… he was a just man… but not a dedicated disciple.
• The Corinthians were genuinely saved, yet not very dedicated to Christ. They were saints positionally, but not very sanctified saints! Christ was not preeminent in the lives of many of those believers. Self was!
• The thief on the cross was a true believer, but not very well taught… not a student… a disciple. There was no time for discipleship there.
4. It is possible to come to Christ for salvation… and then, after a while, to BALK about submitting to His yoke.
a. This is what Christ speaks about in Matt. 11:30 – wearing His yoke.
b. Consider what is involved in submitting to His Yoke:
• Putting our head in His yoke is an act of our will… it is our choice. Will I choose to submit or not?
• To do so is an expression of a Christ-like attitude as when Christ said, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
• It is an acknowledgement that my life is no longer my own. There is a surrendering of your own life… your own way… your own will when you submit to a yoke.
• Submitting to that yoke means it is no longer I but Christ.
• It is recognition of a new authority in one’s life.
• It is the place of absolute surrender… submitting to the yoke of slavery to Christ…
• All of this and more is intentionally implied by our Lord’s use of the concept of a yoke.
5. It is a fearful thing to surrender your life… your time… all you are and all you have… to another.
a. Christ is not preeminent until we bow before Him and submit our neck to His yoke.
b. That means that He has veto power over all decisions.
c. It means He is the absolute authority over EVERY aspect of our lives… every day… all things…
d. This does not come to us naturally. It’s not an easy choice.
e. It is natural for us to want to be the masters of our own destinies… to be in charge… to have preeminence in our lives.
f. The yoke was a symbol of yieldedness or submission.
g. The opposite of that spirit was illustrated by the concept of being stiffnecked – like a lazy, stubborn bull who stiffened his neck so that the yoke could not be put on…
• Acts 7:51 – being stiffnecked is likened to resisting the Holy Spirit…
• II Chron. 30:8 – don’t be stiffnecked, but yield yourselves to the Lord.
6. Of course, it is only fearful to submit to Christ’s yoke when we have a shallow concept of who He is.
a. The lazy, stubborn bull was afraid to put his neck in the yoke because he learned by experience that the burden was heavy. He would have to plow fields.
b. The one who doesn’t know Christ very well might be intimidated to put his head in that yoke.
• And rightly so! Who would be so foolish as to turn over absolute control of their entire life to a total stranger?
• That’s why Jesus invites men to come to Him… also to LEARN of Him.
• We are to come to Him in faith and be saved… trust Him as Savior.
• Then we are to continue learning of Him… and growing in faith… entrusting more and more into His care… as we learn of Him.
c. When we realize that He is omniscient – He knows the end from the beginning… and that He loves us with an everlasting love and wants that which is BEST for us… and that He is omnipotent and has all power to enable us… when we learn that He is sovereign and has a plan for our lives… for good… and is working all things together for good… and when we realize that He is faithful – He will never leave us nor forsake us…
d. The more we learn of Him… the more confident we become in entrusting more and more of our lives to His control.
e. When we KNOW HIM… then submitting to Him… surrendering our lives to His care is no longer fearful… but we feel quite safe and secure. He’s a Good Shepherd, leading us to green pastures and still waters.
f. As times goes on and we come to know Him better and better, submitting to Him in new areas of our lives will not be fearful either. We learn by experience that His way is perfect!
g. Christ is the perfect Teacher.
• He does not unload everything on the new believer all at once—and expect perfection and a level of dedication that it took older believers a lifetime to grow into…
• He does not show us His will for the rest of our lives… all the difficulties ahead on life’s pathway.
• Rather, the yoke is worn moment by moment; step by step; giving us grace and strength that is needed moment by moment. As thy days, so shall thy strength be.
• We don’t have to worry about where this yoke might lead us next year or in five years… or whether we will be able to “make it.”
• He promises never to give us a temptation or a burden greater than we will be able to bear… remember we are yoked to HIM… He bears the weight.
• It would be terrifying to turn over one’s life to a stranger… but not to One who continually proves Himself to be a Good Shepherd…
7. When viewed from this perspective, it would be quite fearful NOT to follow His will and leading.
a. Who knows where our fallen nature would lead us?
• Why not entrust your life into His care?
• It is not in man to direct His steps.
• I was in charge of my life for a while, and didn’t do so well.
• I was more than happy to step aside turn over the steering wheel to someone infinitely more competent than I.
• As we learn more of Him, we learn that His way is perfect. Man’s way is anything but perfect.
b. If we know Christ, it is not a fearful thing to submit to His yoke.
• His yoke is easy!
» Easy: fit, fit for use, useful; virtuous, good; manageable. mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter).
» It speaks of a yoke that is suitable for us; fitted to each one of us uniquely…
• The burden is light
» Light: light; agile;
» This term is used only here and in II Cor. 4:17 – “our light affliction.” It is light when we see it from eternity’s perspective…
» Our burden is also light because when yoked with Christ, we WILL see life from eternity’s perspective.
» That makes our trials and burdens easy to bear… light… when we see they are temporary… and not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us!
» The burden is light because when yoked together with Him in submission, we have access to omnipotence in bearing that burden! HE is our strength!
• He invites us to come to Him and He replaces the weariness and heavy burdens with REST… peace of mind and heart…
• The weight doesn’t go away. Trials don’t end because we enter the yoke, but in that trial we can KNOW that the weight will never crush us… no testing will be more than we care bear… we are now yoked to Christ… omnipotence!
• It does make GOOD sense to submit to His yoke. (Or as Paul put it, presenting our bodies as a sacrifice to Him is a REASONABLE service.)
• It might be fearful and might sound crazy to those who do not know the Lord… but when we know Christ and are learning more of Him, then, submission to His yoke is perfectly reasonable.
8. There is no Spirit-filled life apart from submission to Christ’s yoke. They go hand in hand.
a. Not until we submit to His control will we experience God’s power in our lives.
b. But when we DO submit, we experience a closeness to Christ never experienced outside of that yoke…
c. When we lose our life (our control over our life) and submit to His yoke…then we truly FIND our life… abundant life!
d. When we submit, and insert our head in His yoke, we are no longer pulling the load of life alone. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
e. Christ is in that yoke with us. We are strengthened with ALL might according to HIS glorious power… unto ALL patience; we are strong IN THE LORD… this is the power of the Holy Spirit.
f. It is not that God makes US stronger.
• Actually our real strength is in recognizing our weakness.
• Rather we experience HIS strength and HIS power in HIS yoke.
• Christ pulls the weight. Our job is simply to walk by His glorious side in humble submission… When we do that, His yoke is easy… His burden light.
g. Christ’s yoke yokes us together with Him… His power… His wisdom… His will… His strength… His guidance…His presence… His fruit.
h. He leads the way; He pulls the load; He carries the burden, and He gives us rest.
i. The branch abiding in the Vine has access to all the power of the Vine. The branch that is yielded, abiding submission to the Vine is FILLED with all the Vine is!
j. That little branch finds that when it is yielded to the Vine, it has all it needs and is at rest and is perfectly content… even if it is stormy outside. Good fruit is the result of that relationship.
k. Whatever we accomplish when submitted to that yoke will count for eternity… gold, silver, and precious stones… we will be walking in the works He has ordained for us… and will receive a WELL DONE…
9. When we bow our head to insert it into His yoke, we are turning over our will to His… our life to His care… our self to Himself…
a. The control and authority we formerly exercised over our lives is turned over to His control… it is no longer I but Christ from that point on.
b. The yoke is a symbol of the ABANDONMENT of self will and self rule…
c. Only when self and self will are put out of the way can we be submitted to His yoke.
d. This is an either/or situation. Preeminence knows no degrees.
e. Either “I” am outside the yoke… refusing to submit and thus “I” am ruling my life… OR I bow in submission, and Christ has preeminence.
f. Only THEN can we say that Christ is preeminent in our lives… when we choose to submit to His yoke.
g. Only when we come to an end of self and self will are we ready to bow in submission to Christ as Lord… insert our head in His yoke… is Christ preeminent in our lives.
10.Have you done that? Is there something you are holding back? Is there an area of your life where you are NOT ready to yield to the Lord?
a. If so, then don’t run away from Him
b. Come and LEARN of Him…
c. Learning of Him is God’s means of breaking down our resistance.
• The law says, “Do or die.” It demands submission… but offers no power or incentive other than judgment.
• Grace says, “Learn of Me.” Whatever level of discipleship you are at… whatever level of understanding… or what ever level of dedication… there is MORE to learn of Christ.
• As we learn of Him, we are attracted to the Savior…
• The more we learn of Him the more we learn how we can REST in His finished work…rest because we know our work is done and the victory is won!
• As we learn of Him, the things of earth grow strangely dim… in the light of His glory and grace!
• Grace also demands submission—of a different sort. It is a yoke, but not the yoke of the law – it is the yoke of Christ.
• Grace demands submission, but also provides the POWER of the Holy Spirit to walk… and grace provides another kind of motivation: LOVE.
• As we learn of Christ, our love for the Savior increases… and God changes us from the inside out… so that we genuinely WANT to submit to His will and follow His way…
• In fact, we find DELIGHT in submitting to His will.
And in a strange way—when we lose our life by surrendering it over to Him… we actually FIND our life… and abundant life…
11.TWO KINDS OF REST…
a. Jesus made a distinction in this passage between two lines of thought:
• Salvation and discipleship…
• Coming to Him in faith to be saved and taking on the yoke – submitting to Him…
• Two kinds of rest: one is “given”… and one is “found.”
b. I will GIVE you rest.
• Those who come to Christ for salvation are given rest.
• Rest: the war is over; no longer enemies of God; peace WITH God…
• The sinner who is struggling with the burden of sin, the guilt, the shame, the weight of trying to DO something to take away the sin… and the weight of frustration because nothing works…
• When that sinner comes to Christ in faith, he is saved and GIVEN rest… this is part of his salvation package…
• His sins are forgiven; the war is over; his conscience is at rest.
c. Take my yoke… learn of Me and ye shall FIND rest…
• This is rest on a new level…
• Those who come to Christ as Savior discover over time, that the storms of life can take their toll upon us… and weariness and discouragement and anxiety can set in all over again.
• This believer, when submitted to Christ’s yoke, also discovers an increasing depth, awareness of, and appreciation for REST in Christ…
• The more we learn of Him… the more we experience this deep, abiding rest…
• Into this rest, we can enter… deeper and deeper… it is an endless reservoir of living water…
• This is a deeper experience of rest the carnal believer knows nothing of… it requires a surrendered life.
• The more we learn of Christ… the more willing we will become to turn one area of our lives over after another… “the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.”
• The sweeter He grows… the easier His yoke becomes… and the more REASONABLE it seems to wear that yoke.
• Coming to Christ in salvation brings rest… peace WITH God. Putting on His yoke brings a deeper experience of His rest: the peace OF God… that passes all understanding! This is ours when we reach the point where we are no longer willing to carry the burden alone… and we come to Christ and take on His yoke.
• The carnal believer cannot fathom how he could ever be happy if he surrenders his whole life over to the Lord… and so he continues to stiffen his neck and resist the leading of the Holy Spirit.
• The surrendered believer learns of God working in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure…
» He looks back at those wasted years when he had stiffened his neck against God… resisted His will… and refused to submit… and he laments his folly.
» The very earthly things he loved so… and was UNWILLING to hold loosely… are meaningless to him now that he is yoked with Christ.
» He now discovers that God has not taken away anything from him. Rather, God has given him a NEW WILL… a desire for things that are right in the center of God’s will…
» The sorrow we THOUGHT we would experience by turning over those areas of our lives to God is replaced with unspeakable JOY…
» The surrendered believer experiences CHRIST in that yoke…he LEARNS of Christ…
» The song writer wrote: “Sweet will of God; still fold me closer; ‘till I am wholly lost in Thee.”
» What a wonderful paradox! The old nature, so rebellious and stiffnecked, refusing to submit to the Yoke of Christ… wrongly assumes that complete surrender results in grief and misery…
» Yet when that person through faith, keeps the old self life on the cross… our new nature, yoked with Christ REJOICES in the closeness of communion with Him… and DELIGHTS to do His will…
» The very thing that person so feared becomes his delight!
» Maybe YOU are struggling with an area of your life you are afraid to turn over to the Lord… thinking that the loss will leave you empty… unfulfilled.
» Here’s a wondrous secret the Lord wants us to know: in giving up our life we FIND it…
» And this LIFE we find is an abundant life… a life in which Christ has all the preeminence!
12.Submitting to Christ’s yoke is an illustration of the prerequisite for a Christ centered life:
a. It is God’s method of dealing with SELF…
b. Self and self will… walking our own pathway… doing our own thing… being the master of our own life… all comes to an END when we submit to Christ’s yoke.
c. And it is the BEGINNING of a life where Christ has the preeminence… it is HIS yoke… He guides… directs… leads… and His way is perfect.
d. True joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction do not come through GETTING our own way or DOING our own will.
e. Rather, true joy comes through abandoning the self life… submitting to Christ’s yoke… and learning of Christ… learning to DELIGHT in HIS will… when we learn of Him, delight ourselves in the Lord, THEN God grants us the desire of our heart… true satisfaction… and it is found in a Person.
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN, GOD WANTS YOU TO COME TO CHRIST FOR SALVATION.
§ If you come to Him in childlike faith, He will save you. He will GIVE you eternal life.
§ Christ paid the penalty for your sins on the cross and the work is finished.
§ There is nothing left for you to do but to BELIEVE and be saved.
§ Don’t be concerned about HOW TO LIVE the Christian life… or whether you will be able to make it… or whether you have what it takes to be a Christian… you DON’T! Nobody does. We are sinners and are in need of a Savior.
§ It is not necessary to clean up your life in order to come to Christ. He will do that IN you if you come. Come and none are turned away. We sing, “Just as I am” – a sinner undone… hopeless… helpless… but Christ will give you NEW LIFE if you come in faith.
§ The issue of the gospel does not revolve around us, but around what Christ has done. He has paid it all.
§ “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.” That’s the gospel. We come empty handed, because we have nothing to give. We are recipients of His grace and salvation by faith…
§ Undeserving sinners like you and me can come to an infinitely holy God because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty of ALL our sins.
§ And if we come to Christ in FAITH – He will forgive us ALL of our sins and give us eternal life.
§ Jesus didn’t say, “Come when you’ve cleaned up your life.” “Come when you think you’re able to live the life.” Rather, He says, “Come… come as you are—a sinner undone—and I will give you new LIFE.”
The Preeminence of Christ:
The Altar
Presenting a Sacrifice (Rom. 12:1)
The term “present”: lit = to place beside; to place a person or thing at one’s disposal.
· Luke 2:22 – It was used of Jesus offered to the Lord as a baby.
· Acts 23:33 – It was used of Paul being presented before the governor.
· II Cor. 11:2 – for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
· Acts 9:41 – he raised her and “presented” her alive.
· Col. 1:28 – that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus
a. Infinitive: it is an infinitive, but used as an imperative
• I beseech you to present…
• This makes it clear that it is OUR responsibility to do the presenting!
• We have to CHOOSE to present our bodies a living sacrifice.
• This is not optional. It is a command.
• The fact that it is a command also reveals that NOT every believer will always obey this command.
• In a sense, when we were saved, we were made a priest unto the Lord. And at that time we were consecrated to God and God’s service positionally. We ARE priests.
• This is a command to ACT upon our position… to PRESENT our bodies as a living sacrifice… consecrated to the Lord’s service.
b. Aorist: does not indicate that it is to be done once for all, but indicates that this is to be done decisively. (Do it!)
• Some have gone overboard on the interpretation of the tense here and have assumed that this “presenting of self” to God is a once for all act.
• They speak of it as a crisis point in life.
• It may well BE that it takes a crisis to get us to turn self over to God. (A good kick in the rear!)
• But the aorist does not demand that meaning. It just speaks of the action as a “do it.” Do it… and do it decisively!
• We should present our bodies on the altar with the INTENT of leaving it there… but we are aware of human nature as well.
• We know that our old nature can creep in and exert itself… and inserting self will at any moment…
• Nevertheless, when we put our all on the altar, we are to do so decisively—and MEAN it…
2. Presenting our BODY…
a. Paul uses the language of priesthood here.
• I Pet. 2:5 – As a Christian, we are priests…who are to offer up spiritual sacrifices… living sacrifices.
• This priesthood consists of ALL that are born again; male; female; young; old; mature; immature;
• God EXPECTS sacrifices from His priests.
• There are several types of spiritual sacrifices mentioned in Scripture: fruit of our lips; testimony; praise; our finances; our talents; our service.
b. Rom. 12:1 speaks of ONE particular kind of sacrifice: SELF.
• As a priest, we are to present or to OFFER a sacrifice to God.
• The sacrifice is our BODY.
• By presenting our BODY a living sacrifice, we are obviously presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice… we are presenting the person IN the body!
• Presenting the BODY means we are presenting to God the vessel in which our entire life is lived.
• In one sense, it is no great sacrifice on our part. The Lord has REDEEMED us and already OWNS our bodies. Offering it up to Him is an expression of faith… an acknowledgement that we BELIEVE that we are God’s possession and that He has a RIGHT to our all.
• This is the MOST BASIC and fundamental sacrifice we offer as a priest… without which, no other sacrifice is ever acceptable… no matter how big a sacrifice; no matter how costly.
• II Cor. 8:5 – the gift that the Macedonians gave to the poor saints was pleasing to God because the Macedonians “first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”
• Without having given themselves to the Lord, their money would not have been acceptable to the Lord.
• Without having given themselves, they probably would not have GIVEN so generously to the poor saints in Jerusalem.
c. In this illustration, Paul views the believer as both the priest (the one making the offering) and the sacrifice itself: WE offer SELF to God.
• The cost of this sacrifice is substantial: we offer ourselves… all we are and all have… the entirety of our being.
• In doing so, we are simply acknowledging by faith what we know to be true… we belong to the Lord and we are not our own, we were redeemed! We are His purchased possession.
• Just as when a man puts his head in a yoke, there is a cost, so too when presenting our bodies as a sacrifice—there is a cost involved.
• Even though we are offering to God what is His anyway… it still involves a cost on our part…
3. Presenting our bodies to God is an act of our will.
a. This is NOT automatic in the Christian life.
• And not every believer is willing to make this choice…
• Some are willing to put ALMOST their all on the altar…
• Others will put a substantial part of their lives on the altar
• And we try to convince ourselves that we have been obedient… or NEARLY obedient… (Samuel; Agag; Saul)
b. Only the Holy Spirit can produce a Christ-centered life and reproduce the life of Christ in us.
c. However, there is a pre-requisite to being filled with the Spirit: yieldedness!
• Andrew Murray called this absolute surrender!
• Jesus referred to it as submitting to His yoke.
• Paul uses another illustration to teach a similar truth: presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
d. By presenting our bodies on the altar of sacrifice, we are CHOOSING to yield EVERYTHING over to the Lord.
e. By presenting our bodies on the altar of sacrifice, we are removing the only OBSTACLE to a Christ centered life: SELF.
f. It is our responsibility as a believer-priest to YIELD self to God by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice.
4. Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God is a FREEWILL offering.
a. It is of no value unless it is offered freely and willingly… as an act of LOVE to God.
• Not only are we priests offering sacrifices to our Great High Priest…
• But we are also the church… the bride… offering up our love to Christ – the bridegroom.
• To do so out of a sense of duty, obligation, or compulsion destroys the NATURE of the offering. It loses its value to God.
b. You cannot FORCE someone into making a freewill offering… the two concepts are contradictory.
• Hence, Paul is careful in his wording here.
• “I beseech you by the mercies of God!”
• He pleads with them on the basis of God’s mercy AND on the basis of its “reasonableness.”
c. You cannot FORCE someone into making a LOVE offering.
• If it’s forced, it’s not love.
• The law can make demands from without.
• But it is the LOVE of Christ that constrains us from within.
• Offering ourselves to God ought to be a freewill act of love… therein lies its value to God.
d. It is a heavy burden and painful to be FORCED into putting an area of our life on the altar…
• When this occurs, the offering isn’t given freely… it isn’t given out of love… and it isn’t done out of personal conviction. It is FORCED…
e. This sort of thing occurs all the time in Christendom—and with the very best of intentions.
• It is the quickest way to make changes in people’s lives: demand it! Make it a rule! Law! Do or die. Conform or else.
• Christians universally recognize that our lives need to change… that we need to be obedient and submissive to Christ.
• But HOW to perform it—that understanding is not universal.
• Some men out of frustration beat on the pulpit, and scream—hoping that their zeal and fervor will cause people to surrender.
• Some groups put peer pressure on folks… put guilt trips on people… some constantly berate those who do or don’t… (don’t do this; this is worldly; this is carnal; etc.)
• But when the pulpit is constantly hammering away at issues, it comes across to the people like LAW… and is often obeyed like LAW… even if that was not the intent.
• The best way to convince believers to submit to Christ’s yoke is to cause them to fall in love with Christ!
• The best way to convince believers to put their all on the altar is to demonstrate the DELIGHT this brings to Christ, our Great High Priest!
• The best way to convince the church to obey Christ is to get them to KNOW HIM… for the better we know Him, the more LOVE we will have for Him…
• The best way to produce submission to Christ is to learn to DELIGHT ourselves in the Lord… then submitting to His yoke is easy… putting our all on the altar is a reasonable sacrifice…
• God’s love and grace constrains us to do that which the law could NEVER do: willingly, lovingly SUBMIT… yield… present our bodies as a living sacrifice.
A Living Sacrifice
1. A sacrifice is SLAIN… dead. Presenting our bodies to God is an END of SELF.
a. Animal sacrifices were slain before they were offered to God.
b. The dumb animal was led away to the slaughter, unaware of what was about to transpire.
c. It was killed and then offered up to God.
d. As believers, if Christ is to have preeminence in our lives, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is a prerequisite.
e. And since we are both the priest and the offering, we are to offer ourselves as a sacrifice willingly and freely…
f. God shouldn’t have to drag us to that altar… led to the slaughter.
g. It is an act of our will… a choice we must make. Will I put my head in Christ’s yoke, or not? Will I present my body a living sacrifice to Him or not? Am I willing to come to an end of self or not? Will I yield to the preeminence of Christ… or will I refuse to yield?
h. This will be tested COUNTLESS times in our lives… life is one continuous test… in which our willingness to yield to God… to keep self on the cross crucified by faith… is TESTED.
i. The various areas where we might fail are only the symptoms. (smoking; drinking; pornography; gambling; greed; stealing; etc.)
j. The disease is SELF-will, opposing or ignoring the will of God.
k. God’s method of dealing with the self-life is DEATH… a sacrifice of my body and the old man in it—slain and placed on the altar.
2. Offering a sacrifice…
a. A sacrifice is offered in its entirety. We can’t offer ½ of self to God… We can’t offer our bodies… everything except our eyes… or hands…
b. The sacrifice is HOLY… dedicated to God and God’s service; a life set-apart unto God; a sacred vessel; the body is a sacred temple… no more secular, but holy…
c. Once offered, all rights and claims to that sacrifice are released forever.
d. Isaac is a good illustration of what it means to be a “living sacrifice.” He willingly put himself upon the altar; and when he climbed off the altar, he was a living sacrifice—willing to surrender his all—even unto death.
e. We sing the songs, “Is Your ALL on the Altar of Sacrifice Slain?” or “I Surrender All.” Easy to sing; not so easy to live.
f. Not until we are ready to put our ALL on the altar can we say that Christ has preeminence in our lives.
g. If we are holding back, then SELF is still reigning… self is preeminent.
h. And it is impossible to have TWO preeminent persons in our lives. You can’t have TWO masters.
3. Rom. 6:13 – the word YIELD is the same word as PRESENT in 12:1. (However, there are a couple of minor differences…)
a. That which is yielded/presented…
• This yielding/presenting is exactly the same concept as in chapter 12, but practiced on a different scale.
• 12:1 – present your BODY
• 6:13 – We are to yield our individual members to God…
• The believer who presents his body to God as a living sacrifice today may discover tomorrow that his “hand” has wiggled down off that altar… and needs to be YIELDED all over again to the Lord’s service.
• The believer who has presented his body a living sacrifice may discover that a month later his “eyes” have begun watching things that they ought not… and need to be yielded all over again to the Lord.
• We may present our bodies—our all—to the Lord today… and perhaps down the road a bit, the Lord will reveal to us through His word that there is another area of our lives that perhaps we never thought of yielding to the Lord… and once the Lord shines His light upon it – it too needs to be yielded.
b. The Tenses…
• 12:1 – present your BODY… (aorist) (dot – action)
• One other difference is that 6:13 is a present imperative… speaks of continual action.
• This is NOT something we do ONCE in an altar call or at a crisis point in our lives.
• This is to be an ongoing attitude of yieldedness… something we have to deal with every single day for the rest of our lives!
• We are to present our bodies and all we are to God decisively.
• And if a hand tries to drag itself off that altar—yield that hand to God—again and again if need be.
• This is the real struggle of the Christian life. MAINTAINING this attitude of selfless… yieldedness… surrender to God and His will.
• This is a moment-by-moment responsibility… continually yielding our lives and every aspect of our lives over to God.
• And this is not a matter of personal willpower either. It is a matter of FAITH… reckoning self to be DEAD unto sin and self, and yet ALIVE unto God.
• This is a matter of BELIEVING God… who said that our old man is dead… and that we no longer HAVE to give self the preeminence in our lives… and believing that we are ABLE to lead a new kind of life—walk in newness of life—a life wherein Christ has all the preeminence—and where HIS will is paramount…
• This is a life where we no longer live unto ourselves, but unto him which died for us, and rose again.”
• This sacrifice is dead but alive; a LIVING sacrifice.
4. Not until we are ready to put our all on the altar…including each and every member of our body… as slain… dead…get self out of the way… are we going to be filled with the Spirit… and thus filled with a Christ centered life.
a. The Spirit can’t fill us when we are already full of self.
b. If we are holding back from God—in ANYTHING… unwilling to yield… surrender… present our body as a living sacrifice, then we are living a self-centered life… the flesh and not the Spirit.
c. And no matter how well we dress up the flesh, it is ALWAYS contrary to the Spirit…
d. Christ does NOT have preeminence where the flesh reigns.
e. Putting our all on the altar is an act of the will, and is also a prerequisite to a Christ centered life.
5. And what is OUR responsibility?
a. To get self out of the way BY FAITH… and keep him out of the way… by faith.
b. This is ALWAYS the method God’s Word conveys as the way for Christ to have the preeminence.
c. Whether it is conveyed in the illustration of the yoke, the altar, reckoning self to be dead; presenting our body, yielding our members… the bottom line is always the same.
• When it comes to living a Christ-centered life… where Christ has the preeminence… the problem is always the same: ME!
• And God’s answer is always the same too: the cross… death… and end of our old self-life…
d. And oh, how our old self hates the cross.
e. But when we do decide to put our old self-life on the cross by faith… the hindrance is removed.
f. THEN God’s Holy Spirit fills us with His power and He reproduces the sweet character of Christ in our lives… more and more Christ is formed in us… and more and more HE has the preeminence… unto His glory.
6. In the practical sense, this requires some difficult choices in life…
a. Are you willing to put all of your TIME on the altar… for the use of God as HE sees fit? Can we surrender our time to the Lord… that He might function as LORD of our time?
b. Are we willing to reckon ourselves to be DEAD with respect to ENTERTAINMENT? Are we willing to bow in absolute surrender to Him in this area? (What we watch; read; listen to; participate in…) Are we willing to abandon anything He makes clear is displeasing to Him?
c. Are we willing to put our CLOTHES on the altar?
d. Are we willing to submit to His yoke when it comes to the use of our FINANCES? Are we willing to give Him authority over it all? Remember, He said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
e. Are we willing to place our FAMILY on the altar of sacrifice to God? Remember, He said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”
f. Are we willing to put our MUSIC on the altar?
g. Are we willing to put our CAREER on the altar?
h. We can make all kinds of promises to God; we can claim that He is Lord in all things… that He has the preeminence. We could even have an altar call for folks to publicly declare it so… but that does not MAKE it so.
i. Time will tell. God will reveal to us who really has preeminence in our lives. God will put all of our claims to the TEST… one by one… to give us opportunity to PROVE our love to Him… to PROVE whether we are surrendered to the perfect will of God… or whether we are still living in self will.
• I don’t consider this to occur as a once for all crisis experience. Rather, we ought to put our all on the altar every day… sometimes moment by moment.
• Once for all would be great, but it doesn’t work that way.
• We vacillate in our willingness to allow Christ to have the preeminence in our lives. Yielded one moment; rebelling the next. Experientially, we all know whereof I speak.
• Maintaining this attitude of surrender… yieldedness… submission to His will… keeping the old self life on the cross… and trusting our all to His care is the struggle of our lives as Christians.
• Don’t be so arrogant as to say, “Oh, I’ve done that. I walked the aisle at a revival service. I already committed my life to Christ. He already has preeminence in my life.”
• The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We may honestly put our head in His yoke and genuinely INTEND to keep it there… and then a moment later in a spirit of rebellion, raise up our neck in rebellion against Christ’s authority… and walk in our own way. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.
• Just like when we sin, we are to keep on confessing our sins—for the rest of our earthly sojourn.
• So too when it comes to submission to Christ as Lord and giving Him first place in our lives… we have to acknowledge this every morning when we get up… and perhaps yield and re-yield throughout the day.
j. Deep down inside, we all know who is preeminent in our lives at any given moment.
k. Spiritual growth… growing up in Him occurs this way: He increases and we decrease. His preeminence in our lives becomes more and more evident… and self diminishes… and that too becomes more evident.
l. We all go back and forth in this area. But spiritual growth occurs when those flips and flops between self and Christ occur less and less frequently… with longer gaps in between.
m. We will never reach perfection in this life, but we should be STRIVING to reach the mark… where more and more, Christ has preeminence in our lives.
n. Are you making progress in this area?
o. Maybe some folks here need to do some business with God today… you know what needs to go… and what needs to be added. There is no better teacher in this realm than the Holy Spirit.
p. If self has been on the throne for a while… then there is no better time than NOW to make some changes… put your head in His yoke… present your body as a living sacrifice… yield your members. You choose the illustration, just DO IT!
The Goal of Presenting Our Bodies
1. The GOAL of presenting our bodies is NOT external conformity.
a. This is the world’s way of dealing with the flesh.
b. This is also religion’s way of dealing with the flesh.
c. The world has its “norms of behavior” and religion also has its “accepted standards of behavior.”
d. Men make up the rules… and then attempt to conform human behavior to those rules.
e. This is called behavior modification.
• A smoker learns to stop smoking; an adulterer stops committing adultery; a thief stops stealing; a liar stops lying; and a curser stops cursing.
• They successfully conformed that person to an acceptable code of behavior.
• When that occurs, the world and its religions say, “Isn’t this great! Mission accomplished!”
• On a human level, and on an earthly level, that is quite an improvement.
f. But Paul’s point is that this kind of outward conformity is NOT what God is after. This is NOT Christianity.
• But it IS the way the world works. And the world and its religious systems are often quite successful in accomplishing their goals.
g. There are lots of effective ways to outwardly conform to a code of behavior.
• Hypnosis has been effective in getting smokers to stop smoking.
• Fund raising schemes are effective in getting church folks to give more money.
• The peer pressure of an Amish colony can cause young people to conform to their standards of dress.
• Hiring Michael Jordan to speak at school to encourage kids to stay off drugs could be quite effective too.
• Cutting off hands has been a successful way of dealing with thieves in Saudi Arabia.
h. The world and its religions deal with the problem of the flesh by various means… and their goal is outward conformity to their ways.
• When a person has conformed to their ways, they view that as success.
• They are often successful in reaching their goal.
• But “outwardly conforming” is NOT the goal of God.
• It is possible that the smoker stops smoking, the adulterer stops committing adultery, and the thief stops stealing… and the real issue has never been addressed: the heart!
• Cf. Matt. 23:25-26—outwardly conformed—but NOT inwardly transformed!
• The world’s way is to DOTE over the externals… and when all LOOKS clean on the outside—to pat itself on the back for a job well done.
• BUT – when the outside has been conformed to a man made standard… and the person was quite successful in cleaning up the outside of the cup, the REAL problem has not only NOT been dealt with… in fact, the REAL problem has been exacerbated.
• The real problem is SELF is ruling.
• SELF does have the capacity to reform… to clean the outside of the cup… to put up a good front… and then to GLOAT over how shiny the cup is.
• But SELF is still reigning… the flesh loves to DO and then GLORY in what it did!
• This is being CONFORMED to the world. The world looks on and is always flattered by what the flesh can do without God.
i. But God is never pleased with what the flesh can do.
• The flesh is nauseating to God.
• God is not impressed with outward conformity.
• Outward conformity often serves to merely COVER UP the deeper, inward problem: dead man’s bones!
• Outward conformity is worldly because it seeks to impress men… and puts on a good show… but is impotent to deal with that which is VITAL: the heart!
• The world and the flesh make valiant efforts to conform us to better standards… but it exacerbates the real problem because it only intensifies the self-life… it is SELF help… SELF-improvement… improving SELF’s quality of life…
• SELF is still very much in control. Christ does not have the preeminence in any of this.
• It is impossible to improve the moral quality of one’s life; to improve the quality of one’s life; to cease from many bad habits; and STILL be an ungodly, proud, self-righteous, rebel against a holy God… a person who exalts self…
2. The goal of presenting our bodies is internal transformation.
a. God’s goal for us as His children is quite different.
b. God’s goal for our lives is not external conformation, but internal transformation.
c. This kind of transformation is a supernatural work. It is God working IN us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
• Transformation stands in contrast to conforming.
• Transformed: present; passive; imperative
• God does it; (passive)
• But it happens BY MEANS OF the renewing of our minds. God does that too… but the means He uses is His Word… and it is OUR responsibility to fill our minds with Christ and His Word and His glory.
• Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into that same image. (same word as transformed!)
d. God wants SELF placed on the altar… a slain sacrifice… out of the way SO THAT the Spirit of God has liberty to begin His inward work of transformation.
e. Until the self-life is dealt with properly, God’s Spirit is not at liberty to transform us.
• God’s method of dealing with the self-life is not to dress it up… reform it… improve it… fix it… or bring culture, religion, and sophistication to it.
• God’s method is to crucify it! The cross!
» This is the ONLY acceptable way of getting self out of the way so that Christ might be preeminent in our lives.
» This occurs by FAITH… believing that our old man was crucified with Him…
» By FAITH, place our old self-life on the altar…
f. Paul says here: Present your bodies a living sacrifice… and be transformed… (one active; one passive)
g. When we present… He transforms. If we hold back on presenting… no transformation occurs.
• This cup is to be cleaned from the inside out… when the inside is clean, the outside will take care of itself.
• The end result of this work of transformation is a believer who is PROVING the will of God… practicing it… walking with his head in Christ’s yoke… submitted, surrendered, and in the process of being transformed.
• The goal of this transformation is NOT behavior modification. The goal of this transformation is Christ likeness.
• We present our bodies to Him—a shell—and He fills it with Himself… the fullness of God… the fullness of the Spirit.
• Presenting our all to Him isn’t some great thing we are giving to Him; rather, it is some great thing HE will do IN us.
• When we present our body to Him, we are merely giving him an empty container to fill… emptied of self… to be filled with His character, power, and grace.
h. When we put our all on the altar, we are removing everything that would hinder the LIFE of Christ from being manifested THROUGH us… so that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal bodies.
i. This person is being transformed into the image of Christ… his life is being gradually transformed – to the place where Christ has the preeminence.
j. This is a supernatural work of the Spirit IN us… but the pre-requisite is PRESENTING our bodies as a living sacrifice.
k. When we present self as a sacrifice (crucified; slain)… THEN and only then are we experiencing the transforming power of Christ’s indwelling LIFE… a LIVING sacrifice…
l. Self is dead… (by faith; by presenting) Christ’s life REIGNS in us. Christ has the preeminence.
“Will you please tell me in a word,” said a Christian woman to a minister, “what your idea of consecration is?” Holding out a blank sheet of paper the pastor replied, “It is to sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet, and to let God fill it in as He will.”
The Preeminence of Christ:
The Cross
Introduction:
1. We have been looking at what the Bible says about HOW to have a Christ centered life.
2. If that is to be the case, SELF must be dealt with by God’s ordained means… and God’s means is an END to self.
3. We looked at the yoke… and the altar. Today we will look at the cross.
4. And while there are shades of differences in meaning between these three Biblical illustrations, there is also a thread of unity: they each speak of the end of self.
a. Yoke: the end of self will… submitted
b. Altar: the end of the self life… delivered over to another
c. Cross: the end of self… dead
5. Until the self-life is dealt with – we can never say that Christ has the preeminence in our lives. This is a must.
RECKONING SELF TO BE DEAD (Rom. 6:11)
1. We don’t LITERALLY put our bodies on an altar, slay it, and offer it to God. (That is suicide! Don’t do that! This is figurative language.)
2. The offering up of self on the altar is done by an act of the will and it is also an act of FAITH.
3. In Romans 6, Paul emphasizes the FAITH aspect of it.
a. We ARE dead if we are born again. We died with Christ. This is a spiritual reality.
• We were baptized into His death. (6:3)
• We were buried with Him by baptism into death. (6:4)
• We have been planted together in the likeness of His death. (6:5)
• Our old man was crucified with Him (6:6)
• We are dead with Christ (6:8)
• Our faith united us with Christ in His death.
• This is a chapter about God’s means of victory for the believer.
• It is also a chapter about death: our death… with Christ.
• The prerequisite for a victorious, Christ centered life is DEATH.
» No death, no experiencing resurrection life.
» No death, no victory.
» No death, no resurrection power.
» Self MUST be dealt with… and death is God’s means.
» Hence, God says that our old man was crucified.
b. We are told to RECKON it to be so. (Rom. 6:11)
• Reckon: count it as a fact; believe it; accept it as truth;
• Even though it doesn’t always SEEM or FEEL like our old man is crucified, God commands us to RECKON it to be so… because He said it is so! Trust Him.
• God wants us to believe that we died…
• Faith BELIEVES what God has said.
• We died to sin and self.
• We died to the world… all of our former attachments to the world system are ended. We are now a new creature.
• It takes an act of the will to CHOOSE to reckon this to be so.
• This is an act of faith –
» BELIEVING that my life came to an end… (God said it did; do you believe that?)
» Now it is no longer I but Christ…
» Believing that it is not my will but Thine that counts
» It is FAITH that keeps our old self-life on the cross.
» Faith believes that my old self-life died with Christ and by faith we experience the reality of that death in our lives.
4. The concept of DEATH adds a new level of depth to the concept of dealing with our self-life.
a. There are no shades of death; no degrees of death. Death is absolute.
b. Either one is dead or alive… one cannot be ½ dead; 2/3 dead…
c. Consecration is like that…at any given moment, either we are yielded or we are not yielded to God.
d. God demands ABSOLUTE surrender… DEATH to our self-life… and nothing less will do.
e. One man put it this way: Would a husband be satisfied to hear that his wife was 95% faithful to him?
f. Neither would the Lord be satisfied if his bride, the church – was 95% consecrated to Him.
5. If we are ever to experience a Christ centered life… where Christ truly has preeminence, the old way of life needs to be dealt with… and dealt with in a Biblical manner.
a. Self-will needs to be taken out of the way… so that we might submit to Christ’s yoke.
b. Self must be offered upon the altar of sacrifice… slain…
c. Self must be kept on the cross by faith… reckoning it to be so…
d. This is not some strange, obscure, back-burner kind of truth. This is CENTRAL to living the Christian life. It is oft repeated in the Scriptures.
e. Christ can never have the preeminence when “I” am in the way… when self is seated on the throne.
f. But when we reckon self to be dead and YIELD to God, THEN the Spirit of God controls us, fills us, and produces a Christ centered life in us.
LET HIM DENY HIMSELF (Matt. 16:24)
A. Overview of Verse
1. This is NOT the plan of salvation—as John MacArthur and our Presbyterian brothers are trying to tell us. (GAJ; pg. 196)
a. This is not the way of salvation, but is the way of the discipleship… and there IS a huge distinction between the two!
b. You don’t get to heaven by following Christ; through self-denial; or by suffering persecution. That’s salvation by works!
c. Once saved, this is the way God wants us to LIVE the Christian life… not how to OBTAIN the eternal life.
d. God expects believers to follow Him; to deny self; and to be willing to suffer for His name’s sake… but that is not the way to OBTAIN eternal life.
2. Vs. 21 – Jesus just told the disciples that He was going to suffer. Now He tells them that if they were going to follow Him, they too would suffer.
a. Vs. 22 – Peter didn’t think that Jesus suffering and dying was a good idea. Why not assert your authority, your rights, and your power? After all, you are important!
b. Vs. 23 – Jesus rebuked Peter and noted that he was serving as a mouthpiece for Satan.
c. Peter savored the things of MAN (as opposed to God). God’s ways are not our ways.
d. Man’s way is to be self-assertive and fight for our rights… demand our own way.
e. God’s way was to be willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake… the way of self-denial.
B. Let Him Deny Himself
1. When we are following our own way, SELF has preeminence in our lives.
2. When we are following the Lord, HE has the preeminence in our lives. It is as simple as that.
3. Jesus told His disciples that if they were truly going to follow Him, they would have to DENY SELF.
a. Self is ever and always a hindrance to following the Lord.
b. It’s our nature to want to go OUR way; any way but His way.
c. Self-will always prevents Christ from having His way in our lives… and prevents Him from being preeminent.
d. Here Jesus challenged His disciples to a life of self denial.
e. This is not a means of obtaining life… but rather an attitude that ought to characterize our lives as we follow Christ.
4. Denying self means different things to different people.
a. The Catholic version of self denial is giving up things: as in Lent… or paying penance…
b. The ascetic version of Jesus’ call to self denial was a call to an austere lifestyle; but Jesus was not calling us to give up all of our material goods and live in a cave…
c. Poor people are not necessarily selfless or free from materialistic views. Nor are rich people selfish and materialistic.
d. It is entirely possible to live an austere lifestyle… to give up all material goods, and still have SELF sitting on the throne.
e. The Lord never called us to abandon material goods or even pleasure. (“God hath given us richly all things to enjoy.”)
f. Self denial does not mean that we must give up all of our earthly pleasures or material goods.
g. But it DOES mean that we must be WILLING to do so should the Spirit so lead you as an individual… and God puts our willingness to the test from time to time…
h. Self denial means we are willing to put our head in Christ’s yoke. It means we are willing to put our all on the altar. It means we are willing to hold all we have in an open hand… and not a closed fist.
i. Self denial means that we are willing to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.
j. Self-denial is further defined by Paul as “not I but Christ” in Gal. 2:20.
k. Self-denial is being totally committed to the will of God – willing to deny self by putting our head in His yoke… willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake… willing to change… willing to be humbled…
l. Read “dying to self” paper…
C. Take Up a Cross
1. Once again, the Lord speaks of that which ought to be the ongoing attitude of the believer… of a true disciple…
2. The cross was a symbol of cruel torture and death… it doesn’t always conjure up that image today, but that is what was meant when Jesus spoke those words.
a. This cruel form of punishment was reserved only for the lower class and for slaves.
b. The convicted criminal was forced to carry his cross (or at the least cross beam…) to the place where it would be attached to the standing beam.
c. As he carried the cross, he would be ridiculed and scorned by all the bystanders along the way.
d. Carrying the cross was humiliating; to be followed by the cruelest form of horrific suffering.
3. We abuse this language today.
a. Folks often refer to a nagging backache, or a chronic disease, or poverty, etc… as the cross they have to bear.
b. Not all suffering is a “cross” in this sense.
c. That kind of suffering is better described as a thorn in the flesh, but NOT a cross to bear.
4. Bearing a cross is used figuratively here as a reference to an attitude of being WILLING to suffer for righteousness sake, as Jesus did.
a. The world vented its hatred towards Christ by nailing Him to a cross… an instrument of suffering and death… persecution.
b. When we take up a cross, it means to accept the place of rejection with Christ… accept the hatred and scorn from the world.
c. Christ could have recanted at any point and the suffering would have ceased… but that was unthinkable.
5. If we are NOT WILLING to suffer for righteousness sake, then that means that our personal comfort and well being has preeminence over Christ. Self is ruling and reigning.
a. The martyrs were forced to decide WHO is preeminent in their lives: self or Christ.
b. They were forced to see this issue with a clarity few of us ever realize:
• As the breadwinner in the family, who will take care of my wife and children?
• Wouldn’t I be able to do more good alive than dead? Why not recant… avoid the unjust suffering… and go about doing good?
• Lots of excuses can be devised to avoid suffering for righteousness sake.
• Self denial doesn’t come up with excuses. Self denial bites the bullet and denies self… it always chooses to honor Christ above personal comfort or pleasure…
c. When Jesus told His disciples that if they were going to follow Him they would have to take up a cross, He was demanding from them each a willingness to suffer for righteousness sake… even to the death of the cross if need be.
• Few believers have actually had to die for their faith… but every one of us is to be WILLING to do so.
• That attitude of being willing to suffer for Christ is an expression of selflessness… and it is the spirit of what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up a cross and follow Me.”
• And only in that kind of life can we say that Christ has the preeminence.
D. Whosoever will lose his life will find it (Matt. 16:25)
1. The way of discipleship is the opposite of the way of the world.
a. For the world, there is immediate gain, but ultimate loss.
b. For the disciple, there is immediate loss, but ultimate gain.
2. The one who SAVES his life will LOSE it.
a. It is our nature to want to SAVE our lives.
• The flesh hates the cross… and the way of the cross.
• The flesh wants to better its condition by avoiding persecution for Christ’s sake…
• Wherever there is pain, we want to save our lives.
• Wherever there is sorrow, grief, suffering, cost, difficulty, we want to SAVE our lives… spare self from anything painful.
• The flesh wants to save itself from the narrow way… save itself from any loss…
• Even Paul wanted his thorn in the flesh removed…
• And do you remember Peter’s initial words to Christ when Jesus predicted His death and resurrection? “Be it far from thee Lord!” To which Jesus replied, “Get thee behind me Satan; thou savorest not the things of God, but those that be of men.”
• It is the way of man to want to save our lives… men want to escape suffering and death; but escaping it is not always God’s will.
• The flesh doesn’t want to sacrifice… to give… to yield or to surrender. It doesn’t want to lose its life… or control over its life.
• The flesh wants to keep its life… health… prosperity… happiness… pleasure… resources…
• The believer who lives this way may not be living in gross sin.
• The believer/disciple who saves his life may not see his behavior as especially sinful or rebellious.
• What’s so sinful about buying a boat? Or about going fishing? Or about taking a good job offer in Butte, Montana? Or about taking the family to the lake for the weekend?
• Those things are perfectly good and decent in themselves IF the Lord so leads.
• But if it is SELF making all the decisions… if we are grabbing at things to make us happy, without regard to what God wants… and we are refusing to sacrifice self… then we are “saving our lives” and we will lose in the end.
• If we are living in such a way as to spare ourselves from the cost (time and energy) sacrificing for the Lord’s service… spare ourselves from giving to others (to keep it for self)… spare ourselves from persecution by caving in… then we are “saving our lives.”
• If our goal in life is to ENJOY life, have fun, be happy, healthy, and prosperous… then we are thinking like the world. We are “saving our lives.”
• We pursue our goals in life with a lot of zeal and gusto. And obtaining those goals usually involves compromising our spiritual lives.
• In the immediate, we may save our lives from the cost and suffering involved in sacrifice for the Lord… but in the end, we are the losers.
b. But in saving our lives, we actually LOSE.
• By holding on to life (our time; resources; natural talents; spiritual gifts; our energy; capacity to serve; etc.) … we lose out on REAL LIFE… the abundant life… and rewards in glory.
• We loose out on the rewards we COULD have had for a selfless life of sacrifice… a life of giving… ministering… a life of Christlikeness!
• In fact, those who try the hardest to be happy are usually the most miserable!
• Those who desperately try to become happy by making their business successful at any cost end up losing… their marriage… their children… their hope…
• Lot thought he was saving his life by choosing the lush green valley… but he really lost it. He lost his wife, his family, and ultimately all! And he was miserable—a righteous soul vexed daily!
• They often end up with broken lives… but in the afterlife is when their REAL LOSS is seen.
• Those who aren’t saved, end up in Hell…
• Those believers who lived for self lose out on eternal rewards… their lives go up in smoke as wood, hay, and stubble. They are spiritual losers.
3. Jesus told His disciples that the way to FIND LIFE was to LOSE it.
a. How do disciples LOSE their lives?
• By putting their all on the altar… by putting their head in Christ’s yoke… by reckoning self to be dead…
• By living every day by thinking: Not my will but Thine be done! I must decrease and He must increase.
• By being willing to yield; give up; surrender our will and our ways; to follow Christ regardless of the cost; by denying self in the everyday practical things of life…
• We lose our lives when we chose to have our family turn on us rather than offend our Lord…
• We lose our lives when we are bypassed for the raise and promotion because we refuse to sin against God by lying…
• We lose our lives when we for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
• We lose our lives when we donate Sunday afternoons to go to choir rehearsal and sing songs for the edification of the saints and the glory of God…
• We lose our lives when we sacrifice our career for a life of missionary service…
• We lose our lives when we sacrifice a career or put it on hold for a decade or two to bring up our children…
• We lose our lives when we drive our children to Christian school every day and pay the big bills each month… or by teaching them at home… because God has so led…
• We lose our lives when we sacrifice the cruise in order to give generously to the Lord’s work…
• We lose our lives when we get up a half hour early each morning to have our quiet time with the Lord…
• Very few believers actually lose physical lives for Christ in our country today… but every believer ought to be willing to lose his life… yield over his life… in these practical ways…
b. In losing his life, he really FINDS it!
• It is more blessed to GIVE than to receive.
• Only the believer who is willing to lose his life will find an abundant life in Christ…
• All others will have to settle for a self-centered, earthly, worldly life, barren of spiritual fruit and contentment or joy.
• But what joy belongs to the one who is willing to lose his life for Christ and Christ’s glory!
• Happiness is based on fluctuating circumstances. We don’t need happiness. We really need JOY – the fruit of the spirit!
• That is what makes life worth living.
• The believer who loses his self-centered life gains a Christ centered life… which is far better.
c. John 12:24-25 – Jesus applies a principle to His own life, death, and ministry… and to His followers.
• It was necessary for Jesus to die, to be buried, and then to rise again.
• Like a seed, it must first die and be buried before it can rise into a fruitful state!
• Resurrection life only comes from death. Fruitfulness in the Christian life comes only through death to the self life.
• If you really want to FIND life… you must first LOSE it!
• If we want to hold on to our life (a seed), we can grasp it tightly and keep it to ourselves, and at the end of 25 years we will have one, lonely, barren seed.
• But if we let go of the seed, let it die and bury it, then it will sprout up and become a fruitful tree… producing season after season of good fruit!
• But the way to fruitfulness is death. The way to an abundant life is death. The way to victory is death. The way to finding life is losing it.
LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU (Phil. 2:5)
1. For Christ to have preeminence in our lives, we need to have the MIND of Christ… His mind ruling, not ours.
a. Paul gives this command for a very practical and specific purpose: believers were fighting!
b. Phil. 4:2 – they needed to have the same mind… the mind of Christ.
c. Phil. 2:2 – evidently, there was some discord in the assembly… strife… (vs. 3) selfishness (vs. 4).
d. Where there is pride, contention, strife, and selfishness, it is obvious that Christ does not have the preeminence in the lives of the believers Paul was addressing.
e. The problem: Christ was not preeminent; self was.
f. The answer: “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5)
2. What MIND did Paul want in the individual believers at Philippi?
a. He wanted them to have the same mind (mindset; attitude) that the eternal Son of God demonstrated in the incarnation.
b. Vs. 6 – Christ existed for an eternity in the past in the form of God. His outward glory and radiance were manifestations of His inward nature. Myriads of angels worshipped at His feet.
c. Vs. 6 – He thought it not robbery to be equal with God: He did not esteem it necessary to grasp on to this visible, outward manifestation of His internal divine essence. He was willing to “let go” of this outward expression of His glory.
d. Vs. 7 – He made Himself of no reputation: lit = He emptied Himself… and took on the outward form of a servant… and became a Man.
• Emptied Himself = kenosis
• Christ emptied Himself of His outward manifestation of His divine glory when He became a Man.
• He emptied Himself of His RIGHT to exercise His divine powers when He became a Man…
• It was a self renunciation… a refusal to use what He had for His own advantage… for personal gain…
• He still possessed all of His divine powers and attributes, but chose not to exercise them… and He did so for us!
• He still possessed all of His divine essence and glory, but chose not to manifest it outwardly.
• This was an emptying of SELF.
3. Vs. 10 – Christ demonstrated this selfless spirit even unto the death of the cross.
a. This attitude of utter selflessness that knows no limits… is what Paul is talking about when he says, “Let this mind (attitude) be in you.”
b. If we want to manifest Christ in our lives… to manifest the mind, heart, and compassion of Christ… then we need this attitude: selflessness demonstrated in the kenosis experience…
• When He left the outward show of His glory behind…
• When He humbled Himself to become a servant of men…
• When He put OUR spiritual well being ahead of His own comfort and ease.
c. “Let this mind be in you” is a command. Hence, obeying it is an act of our will.
• Will we CHOOSE to manifest this Christ-like, supernatural attitude of selflessness… or will we choose to manifest the much more natural attitude of selfishness?
• There was strife and pride which indicated to Paul that SELF was reigning. Christ was pushed aside.
• Paul’s answer: the believers need to push self aside… by manifesting the holy and humble attitude of Christ.
d. This command is in essence quite the same as the others we have looked at.
• If Christ is to have the preeminence in our lives, we need to STOP allowing self-serving motives to control our thinking, our hearts, our attitudes, and hence our behavior… and START allowing the selfless attitude of Christ to take over.
• Only THEN can we say that Christ has the preeminence in our lives… when we have the mind of Christ.
• The mind of self or the mind of the flesh will ALWAYS take the position of preeminence…
• That is unless we by faith put him back on the cross… reckon self to be dead…so that we no longer are enslaved to that selfish nature… but the new nature that exalts Christ can rule and reign!
• And oh how practical! If we want to get rid of the strife and vainglory in our lives… if we want to learn to stop butting heads with people we love… then here is one awesome lesson: Consider Christ’s kenosis experience.
4. Are you willing to empty yourself of self? Are you willing to put aside your so-called rights… be willing to esteem others better… lowliness of mind?
a. This is what occurs when Christ has the preeminence.
b. And even if we differ on the details – we can still be of one accord… likeminded… because we have the mind of Christ.
c. Christ has preeminence in our lives when we have the mind of Christ. So let it be in you!
5. As Christians, we ought to be armed with that same mind… that same attitude. (I Pet. 4:1-2)
a. Arm yourself: this verb speaks of a soldier putting on his weapons and armor for battle.
b. We are to be armed with the same mind as Christ had: unswerving allegiance to doing God’s will—regardless of the personal cost.
c. Christ is our example of an attitude of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake. (I Pet. 3:17-18) He suffered for well doing.
d. Whether we are living in a day of persecution or a day of relative ease, we are ALWAYS to walk about with this same mind: an attitude of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake… willing to do God’s will…
e. Peter states that if we are willing to be identified with Christ in His sufferings by faith, then we too will experience victory over sin—he hath ceased from sin!
f. If we are unwilling to identify with Christ on the cross—we died with Him—then we will never experience victory OVER sin. We will never experience the power of the resurrection in our lives.
g. The cross speaks of a BREAK with our old life of sin. He that is dead is freed from sin! (Rom. 6:7)
h. This is an attitude of selflessness… even to the death of the cross. This is the mind of Christ… and we are to be ARMED with it daily. How incredibly powerful is this attitude!
i. Maintaining that attitude is our responsibility. We are to take that position of mind/heart/attitude… and WALK that way… moment by moment… day by day…
6. Conclusion: If we want victory over sin; if we want to live in the will of God; if we want a life in which CHRIST truly has the preeminence, then there is a prerequisite: the cross!
a. The old self-life must be faced and dealt with—God’s way.
b. God’s way is the cross… death. Nothing less will suffice.
c. When self is out of the way, then and only then will Christ be able to manifest His life and character through us… through an empty yielded vessel… to be filled with the fullness of God… filled with a Christlike character by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit… a walk in newness of life… a new creature!
d. God’s way of victory is not so much dealing with this issue or that… giving up this practice or that. Rather, God’s method is dealing with SELF:
• Yoke: the end of self-will… submitted…
• Altar: the end of the self-life… surrendered…
• Cross: the end of self… dead… delivered over to the death of the cross
e. Until the self-life is dealt with – we can never say that Christ has the preeminence in our lives.
f. But when we ARE submitted to His yoke… surrendered our all on the altar… and delivered over self to the cross… THEN we experience God’s power in our lives… a life truly worth living!
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED: God’s message is: BELIEVE and be saved today!
The Preeminence of Christ:
The Mind
LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU (Phil. 2:5)
1. For Christ to have preeminence in our lives, we need to have the MIND of Christ… His mind ruling, not ours.
2. Paul gives this command for a very practical and specific purpose: believers were fighting!
a. Phil.4:2 – they needed to have the same mind… the mind of Christ. Here was a case of believers butting heads over some unspecified matter. (The color of the curtains?)
b. Phil. 2:2 – evidently, there was some discord in the assembly…
• Paul shared his desire for them…
• Like-mindedness – which he defines in the following verses as the mind of Christ.
• The same love: love for Christ alone… which would affect their relationship to the members of His body. Perhaps their love for Christ had begun to wane… leaving their first love…
• Phil. 1:21 – Paul just shared his personal testimony… his heart for Christ… single-minded devotion to Christ.
• The things of earth had grown strangely dim to Paul… to him, life was about the resurrected, glorified Savior. He had a mind for Christ.
• Evidently, Paul was NOT seeing this same single-mindedness for Christ in some of the believers.
• The Philippians were NOT carnal believers. Paul praised them for the GOOD he had observed among them.
• Phil. 2:1 – “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies…”
» Wuest: The word “if” is the translation of a conditional particle referring to a fulfilled condition. One could translate “since,” or “in view of the fact.”
» The Philippians were encouraged in the Lord; comforted one another; had good fellowship in the Spirit; and had compassion.
» Paul had experienced their comfort, their care and their fellowship. They had sent him a love offering… he was fully aware of their love towards him.
» Now he wanted them to show the same kind of Christlike spirit towards one another.
» Yet there was one thing lacking – the mind of Christ!
» Their minds were occupied with themselves… vainglory… and things other than Christ…
c. There were some telltale signs that the mind of Christ was not preeminent in their thinking too:
• There was strife… (vs. 3) selfishness (vs. 4)
• Where there is pride, contention, strife, and selfishness, it is obvious that Christ does not have the preeminence in the lives of the believers Paul was addressing.
d. The problem: Christ was not preeminent; self was.
e. The answer: “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5)
• In vs. 2 Paul states his desire for them to be likeminded.
• People who are disputing, debating, arguing, fighting, and stirring up strife can resolve all of that if only they were LIKE minded.
• Paul’s answer: they could be like minded if their minds were all set upon ONE object: Christ Jesus!
3. Paul’s mind was set and settled on that ONE object: Christ.
a. Phil. 1:21 – for to me to live is Christ.
• Paul had ONE OBJECT in life: to magnify Christ (vs. 20)
• His life or health or ease was not of such great concern. What mattered was magnifying Christ.
b. Phil. 2:16-17 – Paul’s whole life was lived in the service of Christ… preaching the gospel… preaching Christ… holding forth the word of Christ…
• He saw his life as a drink offering poured out and offered to Christ…
• His entire life was directed by his single eye for Christ. Christ was his life.
• He looked forward to the day of Christ—standing before Him to receive a WELL DONE…
c. Phil. 3:8 – Paul was willing to sacrifice ALL for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Clearly that vision of Christ had so grasped his heart and mind that he was willing to surrender all for the knowledge of Christ. Christ had completely captured his mind and heart.
d. Phil. 3:13-14 – this one thing I do: striving towards Christ-likeness. His life was focused on Christ—and being like Him.
e. Phil. 3:15 – Paul’s desire for every believer is that we share his single-mindedness for Christ.
f. Phil. 4:11-13 – Paul’s mind was set on Christ.
• It mattered not so much whether he was well fed or hungry; in good health or poor; abounding or in need.
• Paul’s mind was on Christ… and hence, in whatever state he was in – he KNEW that Christ was all sufficient.
• He could do ALL THINGS… because he was single-mindedly focused on ONE THING… Christ the Lord.
g. Paul lived and demonstrated the power and JOY of a Christ centered life.
h. His MIND was on Christ… and he refused to allow anything else to capture his mind.
• Because his mind was captured by Christ, he THOUGHT like Christ. He had the MIND of Christ.
• This is what the Philippians (and us!) needed as well.
• The person who has a Christ centered life will demonstrate the mind of Christ.
4. What MIND did Paul want in the individual believers at Philippi?
a. He wanted them to have the same mind (mindset; attitude) that the eternal Son of God demonstrated in the incarnation.
b. Phil. 2:6 – Christ existed for an eternity in the past in the form of God. His outward glory and radiance were manifestations of His inward nature. Myriads of angels worshipped at His feet.
c. Phil. 2:6 – He thought it not robbery to be equal with God: He did not esteem it necessary to grasp on to this visible, outward manifestation of His internal divine essence. He was willing to “let go” of this outward expression of His glory.
d. Phil. 2:7 – He made Himself of no reputation: lit = He emptied Himself… and took on the outward form of a servant… and became a Man.
• Emptied Himself = kenosis =
• Christ emptied Himself of His outward manifestation of His divine glory when He became a Man.
• He emptied Himself of His RIGHT to exercise His divine powers when He became a Man…
• It was a self renunciation… a refusal to use what He had for His own advantage… for personal gain…
• He still possessed all of His divine powers and attributes, but chose not to exercise them… and He did so for us!
• He still possessed all of His divine essence and glory, but chose not to manifest it outwardly.
• This was an emptying of SELF. (made Himself of no reputation).
• There was not a trace of self exaltation in this. Christ had been exalted in glory… and He willingly chose to leave behind that outward display of exalted glory … and He humbled Himself for us.
• There was nothing of self interest or self-will in the incarnation… in Christ becoming a Man to die the awful death of the cross. That was an act of pure selflessness.
• This was the unselfish mind of LOVE… that seeks nothing of its own… but seeks the good of others.
5. Vs.10 – Christ demonstrated this selfless spirit even unto the death of the cross.
a. This attitude of utter selflessness that knows no limits… is what Paul is talking about when he says, “Let this mind (attitude) be in you.”
b. If we want to manifest Christ in our lives… to manifest the mind, heart, and compassion of Christ… then we need this attitude: the kind of selflessness demonstrated in the kenosis experience…
• When He left the outward show of His glory behind…
• When He willingly laid aside His rights…
• When He humbled Himself to become a servant of men…
• When He put OUR spiritual well being ahead of His own comfort and ease.
c. “Let this mind be in you” is a command. Hence, obeying it is an act of our will.
• Will we CHOOSE to manifest this Christlike, supernatural attitude of selflessness… or will we choose to manifest the much more natural attitude of selfishness?
• In Philippi, the strife and pride indicated to Paul that SELF was reigning. Christ was pushed aside.
• Paul’s answer: the believers need to push self aside… by manifesting the holy and humble attitude of Christ.
d. This command is in essence quite the same as the others we have looked at.
• If Christ is to have the preeminence in our lives, we need to STOP allowing self-serving motives to control our thinking, our hearts, our attitudes, and hence our behavior… and START allowing the selfless attitude of Christ to take over.
• Only THEN can we say that Christ has preeminence in our lives… when we have the mind of Christ.
• The mind of self or the mind of the flesh will ALWAYS take the position of preeminence…
• That is unless we keep our old man on the cross… by faith…reckon self to be dead…so that we no longer are enslaved to that selfish nature… so that the new nature that exalts Christ can rule and reign!
• And oh how practical! If we want to get rid of the strife and vainglory in our lives… if we want to learn to stop butting heads with people we love… then here is one awesome lesson: Consider Christ’s kenosis experience.
6. Timothy demonstrated the mind of Christ. (Phil. 2:19-21)
a. Vs. 19 – Paul was prepared to send Timothy to Philippi for their edification and encouragement in the Lord.
• This was an example of the mind of Christ on Paul’s part.
• We know how much Paul loved Timothy… and at this time… to send him to minister to others was an act of pure, selfless love on Paul’s part.
• Paul was not concerned about his own condition, but was concerned about THEIR comfort and their state.
b. Vs. 20 – Paul could trust Timothy to care for them… because Timothy was likeminded (like – souled) with Paul on this essential matter: the mind of Christ… selfless, humble, love.
c. Vs. 21 – Timothy was different from most men.
• Most men are self seeking, and do not seek after the things of Christ…
• But Timothy was the exception to that rule.
• This is quite an indictment on believers… but Paul probably meant of all the people that were near him in Rome, only Timothy was of such a mind… an attitude.
7. Are you willing to empty yourself of self? Are you willing to put aside your so-called rights… be willing to esteem others better… willing to demonstrate a genuine lowliness of mind?
a. This is what occurs when Christ has the preeminence.
b. And even if we differ on the details – we can still be of one accord… likeminded… because we have the mind of Christ.
c. Christ has preeminence in our lives when we demonstrate a humble, selfless, servant’s attitude of love… esteeming others better than yourself.
d. So let this mind be in you!
e. A Christ centered life is characterized by the mind of Christ.
ARMED WITH THIS MIND (I Peter 4:1-2)
1. As Christians, we ought to be armed with that same mind… that same attitude. (I Pet. 4:1-2)
a. Arm yourself: this verb speaks of a soldier putting on his weapons and armor for battle.
b. We are to be armed with the same mind as Christ had: unswerving allegiance to doing God’s will—regardless of the personal cost.
c. Christ is our example of an attitude of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake. (I Pet. 3:17-18) He suffered for well doing.
d. Whether we are living in a day of persecution or a day of relative ease, we are ALWAYS to walk about with this same mind: an attitude of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake… willing to do God’s will… willing to submit to Christ’s yoke…
e. Peter states that if we’re willing to be identified with Christ in His sufferings by faith, then we too will experience victory over sin—he hath ceased from sin!
f. The believer who is identified with Christ in His sufferings… (the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death) – will experience the power of the resurrection in his life! (Phil. 3:10)
2. This is the believer who has CEASED from sin.
a. Ceased: perfect passive…
• He has been released from sin and stands released…
• When a man is saved, God breaks the power of sin… and we are no longer slaves to sin.
• He that is dead is freed from sin…
• This is not sinless perfection… but a victorious life.
b. The victory is linked to our identification with Christ… by being armed with His mind… that attitude of being willing to suffer for righteousness sake…
• Heb. 13:12-13 – Willing to go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach!
• When this attitude reigns, we cease from sinning.
• The believer who is thus identified with Christ in His sufferings IS the believer who has ceased from sin.
c. The context here indicates that the “sin” would be the sin of compromise… refusing to suffer for righteousness sake…
• The believer would not be suffering persecution if he was still sinning… if he were still going to their drunken parties… (vs. 3)
• The world only causes believers to suffer when they are walking in OBEDIENCE… hence, they are not sinning.
• If we are unwilling to identify with Christ on the cross—[we died with Him]—then we will never experience victory OVER sin. We will never experience the power of the resurrection in our lives.
d. The cross speaks of a BREAK with our old life of sin. He that is dead is freed from sin! (Rom. 6:7)
e. This is an attitude of selflessness… even to the death of the cross. This is the mind of Christ… and we are to be ARMED with it daily. How incredibly powerful is this attitude!
f. Maintaining that attitude is our responsibility. We are to take that position of mind/heart/attitude… and WALK that way… moment by moment… day by day…
3. I Peter 4:2 – this believer is no longer living in order to satisfy his own selfish lusts… but rather he is living to the will of God.
a. This is a death to self-will… and alive unto God’s will.
b. The contrast here is between living for lusts and living for the will of God… the desires of self or the will of God.
c. This is the believer who is willing to submit to Christ’s yoke… absolute surrender of his will to the will of God… regardless of the cost… knowing that His yoke is easy.
BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT… (II Cor. 10:5)
Interpretation
1. Paul is not speaking of his own thought life or the thought life of any of the believers in Corinth.
a. He is fighting the good fight of THE Faith.
b. He was not talking about the battle going on in his own mind… or bringing his own thoughts into captivity—or the thoughts of the Corinthian believers…
c. Rather it was a conflict between the TRUTH he was preaching and the ERROR the enemy was sending into the newly formed churches.
2. Paul was entering into gentile territory – spiritual darkness…
a. He was fighting not against the Hittites or Amalekites, but against spiritual wickedness in high places…
b. He was fighting against the doctrines of demons… demons who appear as angels of light to deceive…
c. He was engaged in real spiritual warfare… Satan who blinds the minds of those who believe not.
3. Therefore, he could not war after the flesh. (vs. 3)
a. He would not use carnal weapons…
b. He wasn’t fighting a battle with carnal weapons: swords or spears.
c. Nor was he fighting a battle with human weapons such as human wisdom, human intelligence, human powers of persuasion, or human talent or showmanship.
d. The Judaizers tried to LURE Paul into such a battle – pitting their philosophy against his gospel… pitting their human accomplishments against his… pitting their letters of recommendation against his… matching their oratory skills against his…
e. Paul would not engage in a mere human battle with carnal weapons.
4. Therefore, Paul did not want to use carnal weapons in such warfare! (vs. 4)
a. Carnal weapons are useless in a spiritual conflict.
b. His weapons were mighty through God!
c. His weapons were not very impressive to the carnal man – prayer; reliance upon God; faith; humility; truth; righteousness; the Scriptures.
d. But they were mighty through God—God stands behind every one of the weapons He gives for this conflict…
5. These weapons were able to produce real spiritual results (vs. 4b-5)
a. Pulling down the strongholds of the enemy (vs. 4b) – false doctrines that captivate ignorant minds…
b. Casting down imaginations – human reasoning – philosophies – (vs. 5)
c. Casting down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God – namely, anything that exalts itself against the truth of God’s word is obviously based in human pride.
d. Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (5c)
6. The three steps of the apostle’s spiritual warfare are: (1) It casts down and demolishes that which is opposed to Christ; (2) It leads captive; (3) It brings its captives into obedience to Christ.
Application:
Introduction:
• The underlying point behind Paul’s argument here has to do with the POWER of the weapons God has given us in the spiritual conflict: such as PRAYER, FAITH, the SPIRIT, and the TRUTH.
• To the world, relying on such things is FOOLISH… but in reality, it is the power of God unto salvation and sanctification!
• His underlying point is that TRUTH is mighty through God – is able to cut through error… false doctrines… worldly wisdom… and human reasoning. It can cast down and knock down erroneous thinking…
• Truth is also able to captivate minds and hearts and bring them into submission and obedience to Christ.
• Now, if God’s Word can do that to those who oppose the gospel – it can do the same in OUR lives!
1. Pulling Down Strongholds (vs. 4c)
a. It is used metaphorically of the strong points of an argument; in which someone trusts; like a fortress they hide behind for safety.
b. Our adversary, the devil has many strongholds…
• Various philosophies… ways of thinking… various false doctrines that are close to the truth, the thinking of the world; religion; etc… but they are all wrong…
c. Even though we are saved, our minds can still be motivated by the fleshly nature… and manifest the mind of the flesh.
• When that is the case, our minds and thoughts are going to be just like that of an unbeliever – because our flesh does NOT improve!
• If we walk in the flesh, we will THINK like the world.
d. Yet, if we keep our minds and hearts saturated in the Word – TRUTH will cast down such strongholds!
• Truth exposes wrong thinking; wrong concepts; wrong philosophies; wrong doctrine…
e. Just as the preaching of the gospel can break down the walls of resistance… pull down the fortresses of human thinking that men hide behind… it can do the same in OUR MINDS too.
• Truth can expose OUR wrong thinking… renew OUR minds… pull down any strongholds that we have been hiding behind… using as an excuse…
• The Word of God is powerful—it pulls down those strongholds and exposes what we are… we stand naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
• The Bible is not just a book. It is a spiritual book that is used in a powerful way by the Holy Spirit of God. HE uses His Word to convict our hearts… point out where our thinking is off base…
f. Truth will PULL DOWN such strongholds: (pull down = tear down; demolish; destroy utterly…)
• That kind of thinking is not to be tolerated at all in the Christian.
• Don’t even TOY with such thoughts. Allow God’s Word to pull them down… destroy…
2. Casting down Imagination… (vs. 5a)
a. Imagination = (logismous) – [calculation; argument; reasoning; consideration; conclusion; etc.]
b. Refers to the reasonings of the flesh… which is a CARNAL weapon!
c. Even though saved, human reasoning can control our thought processes… if we are not filled with the Spirit.
d. If we are not careful, human reasoning will infect our daily thought life too.
• The devil wants to control the way you think. If he can capture you mind… he has YOU!
• He will give you 1001 excuses why its OK for you to disobey what the Bible plainly says… or what the Spirit leads you to do…
• He will enable your mind to come up with all kinds of ways to rationalize your way around simple obedience.
• Imaginations… reasoning that is of the world and the flesh and is not of God is to be CAST DOWN.
• It cannot be tolerated in the Christian life.
e. Does your imagination… your human reasoning run away with you at times?
• It will if we let it! It will take us FAR away from God if we let it.
• Rationalizing will lead you to believe that you are better off going to the beach on Sunday instead of church; better off keeping your offerings to yourself than throwing it away to the church; better off sleeping a little later than getting up early just to read the Bible; better off caving in to your unsaved relatives wishes, rather than obeying God and rocking the boat; better off letting your kids decide for themselves if they want to go to church rather than forcing them; better off not speaking up for Christ at work rather than risk being ridiculed.
• We can rationalize our way around anything… rationalize ourselves far away from God… far away from obedience… far away from where we ought to be spiritually… and according to the wisdom of the world – it will just FEEL RIGHT doing it!
3. We too as believers have so called “high thoughts” (proud thoughts)… which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God! (vs. 5b)
a. We sometimes think ourselves smarter than God…
b. We get taken in by the world of science falsely so called – and swallow the world’s view of the origin of the universe…
c. We think OUR way of rearing children is superior to the archaic method spelled out in the Bible…
d. We think OUR concept of husband/wife relationships is superior to the old fashioned, culturally biased, male dominated, view of Paul!
e. We think that WE can lead holy lives on our own – with submitting to the Spirit of God – we can forsake the assembly of ourselves and it won’t affect us… we can skip reading the Word and still be strong… we don’t need to pray with the saints… we can rely on our own strength to get through life…
f. We don’t really need to be coming to the throne of grace daily for grace to help in time of need. We can stand on our own—and while we may need assistance from God time to time… we can handle life on our own…
g. We don’t like God’s view: the cross—that means that we are completely powerless to live the Christian life! Our hearts are desperately wicked and deceive us when the flesh is in control! Without Christ, we can do nothing!
h. We have proud, arrogant, high thoughts that reject all that… somehow; we think that we are an exception to the rule. We can handle it.
i. Let’s face it – we think this way at times – although we don’t like to admit it…
j. It is human pride, self-will, and arrogance. They are like walls that separate us from God, truth, and spiritual victory! They must be cast down!
4. Proud thoughts exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.
a. If our minds are proud… then Christ does NOT have the preeminence in our thinking.
b. Herein lies the battle being waged in our minds: will we allow our proud thoughts to be seated in the throne… exalted… preeminent… OR will Christ have preeminence in our minds?
c. It is one or the other.
d. Vs. 5 – Proud thoughts are to be CAST DOWN… destroyed (verb form of the noun “the pulling down of” in vs. 4)
• Vs. 5 – casting down = present participle…
• This is an ongoing battle… continuous action…
• Such thoughts pop up in our minds like pop ups on our computers… out of the clear blue sky!
• Each one is to be cast down…
• Each proud thought that says, “I WILL”… needs to be cast down… one by one… day by day… moment by moment… till glory.
5. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (vs. 5c)
a. The obedience of Christ is a new “prison.” (in the illustration used)
• The minds of the unsaved had been held up in a stronghold (prison fortress) of the devil.
• But the power of the gospel pulled down those strongholds… led the prisoners in that fortress out (the truth shall make you free!)… and now they are free… saved… regenerated!
• Truth has now captured that regenerated mind… and made it subservient to a new master—to Christ and His Word!
b. Freedom from the devil’s stronghold does not mean we are free to do and think whatever we want. It means we are free to SERVE Christ.
c. Paul’s point in II Cor. 10:5 is that God’s spiritual weapons are able to set our minds free from the strongholds of the devil… from darkness… AND bring it into a NEW CAPTIVITY… captivity to a new master – to Christ and His Word!
d. These spiritual weapons (faith; prayer; truth) are able to bring every one of our thoughts into obedience to God and His Word!
e. As long as we are yielded to God – our mind will be obedient to Him!
f. Our mind is one of those members that needs to be yielded to God. (Rom.6:13)
• The end result? Our mind will become an instrument of righteousness…
• When yielded to the flesh… our old nature… our mind is an instrument of evil thoughts.
• The promise? (vs.14) Sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you… or your mind –
• We CAN have a mind that is obedient… that is under control… that is subservient to Christ… victorious…
• God has given us spiritual weapons – which if used – result in VICTORY! (grace; faith; truth; prayer)
• Is Christ LORD of your thought life? Do we MIND things above? Do we have a single EYE for Him?
• Or, are we DOUBLE minded? The double minded man is unstable in all his ways!
6. Our thought life can and must be brought into the captivity of a new master… from one stronghold to another.
a. You want victory over your thought life?
b. Victory is obtained not by gritting our teeth and TRYING with all OUR might to think good thoughts and to get rid of the evil thoughts.
c. It is NOT a matter of self discipline. (That leads to self righteousness!)
d. Victory is ours by faith in and allegiance to the New Master – Christ!
e. Yield to God and be filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is self control… even over our mind.
f. Victory over our mind comes through a RELATIONSHIP to a new master…
• Total surrender to His will… the yoke… the altar… the cross… bringing every thought into CAPTIVITY…
• Don’t expect the Lord to produce a holy thought life… to give you control over your mind IF deep in our heart we are unwilling to submit to Him, not fully surrendered!
• You can’t have a self controlled, holy, pure thought life… no matter how much we may want one… IF we are harboring SIN in our heart… and if we are unwilling to YIELD our all to Him…
• Pure hearts and pure minds go together. The answer is to surrender to this new master…
• You want a better thought life? Work on your RELATIONSHIP to Jesus Christ!
» True knowledge makes men humble. Where there is exaltation of self, there knowledge of God is wanting [Bengel].
The Preeminence of Christ:
and the Will
THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST AND OUR WILL
1. Can you say that “in all things Christ has the preeminence” in my life?
a. This is a matter of the will. It is a choice we make.
b. And while anyone can SAY those words, God will put this to the test repeatedly in our everyday lives.
c. Who has preeminence in your life? Regardless of what we might say, in reality, our choices in life demonstrate who really has preeminence.
2. Preeminence of Christ in our choices: that which we choose demonstrates our priorities and who is preeminent in our lives.
a. Do we give Christ an important place in our lives (a large piece of the pie, a certain %) or can we say Christ IS our life. Only then can we say that in all things He has the preeminence in our lives.
b. If Christ truly IS our life, then we will CHOOSE Christ over other “things.”
c. Our will is seen in the choices we make; and the choices we make demonstrate who or what has the preeminence.
3. We looked at several illustrations used for dealing with the self life in the Bible (yoke; altar; cross).
a. Each of these illustrations involves an act of the will.
b. One must be WILLING to submit to the yoke; WILLING to present his body a living sacrifice; WILLING to reckon himself to be crucified with Christ.
c. This can never be forced. If it is forced, it isn’t grace. It isn’t the love of God working in us. It isn’t real!
d. The law can beat a person into submission to a code… for fear of the consequences. The apostle Paul was “blameless” under the Law before he was even saved! His heart was not willingly submitted to God… but he DID obey the Mosaic Laws.
e. Children might obey their parents—because they fear the consequences of disobedience. But that does not assure that they have a submissive, willing, spirit.
f. Anger, resentment and rebellion might be simmering on the inside—even though there is outward conformity to the rules.
g. Many young people brought up in Christian homes come to church every week; go to Sunday school; and seem to be decent, obedient children… yet do so out of constraint… not willingly. And once they are out on their own—they never go to church or read their Bibles again.
h. A child can go through their adolescent years living in obedience to all the rules set by dad and mom, and SEEM to be submissive… yet deep down inside, be in REBELLION against their parents… There wasn’t one ounce of WILLINGNESS in their external submission.
i. A Jew could live under the law and be blameless… yet be living in REBELLION against GOD. They obeyed the law of Moses because they had to, but there wasn’t one ounce of WILLINGNESS in their external submission.
j. Forced submission to a law is not at all like willing submission to a person.
4. The WILL is essential to Christianity. The will is necessary in order to be saved.
a. Man consists of intellect, emotion, and will.
b. Intellect: A person might believe in his head all the facts of the gospel and still go to hell. Simon the sorcerer believed.
c. Emotion: A man might believe the facts of the gospel and be stirred emotionally; be moved to tears… and still go to hell.
d. Will: unless that men CHOOSES to receive Christ by faith, he is lost… even if his intellect has been convinced of the facts of the gospel… and his heart moved by the message.
e. He can still REJECT Christ the Person… and say, “I am convinced that it is all true. But I don’t WANT to be saved. I don’t WANT Christ in my life.”
f. God OFFERS salvation to all, but He doesn’t force salvation on anyone.
g. Faith must be evident in the whole man: intellect, emotion, AND will! Believing on Christ is ultimately a CHOICE.
• The gift is offered to you. Will you receive it or not?
• The invitation to come to Christ is extended to you. Will you come or not?
• The charge to receive Christ is commanded to you. Will you receive Him by faith or not?
5. And once saved, as a believer, the human will is still vital in our relationship to Christ.
a. Christianity is not a law… a code book. It is a relationship to a PERSON.
b. One can maintain a good relationship to a law without a spirit of willing submission, but NOT with a Person.
c. Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is the Bride. That is a relationship of love and grace.
d. In a love relationship, the wife is to submit to her husband NOT because of a dread or fear of the consequences of disobedience… because she fears getting beaten… What an awful relationship that would be!
e. In a healthy relationship, the wife submits willingly because she WANTS to… because she LOVES her husband and wants to PLEASE him. Of all the men in the world, her husband is the preeminent one to her.
f. In a healthy relationship the husband also loves his wife… and esteems her better than himself. And when their anniversary comes, he buys her a present, not because he is required to… forced to… but because he WANTS to. LOVE motivates this relationship.
g. The nature of love is such that it requires the WILL… love cannot be forced or demanded. Love WILLINGLY sacrifices self for the good of another.
• When the will is removed, the act of love is quite meaningless to the recipient. It is no longer love.
• Submission to Christ’s yoke cannot be forced.
• If it is forced… (if we go along with the will of God out of peer pressure; shamed into it; embarrassed to be the only one not going along with it…) then it is phony.
• It is not real submission. It is external conformity to rules. And that person will NOT find his yoke easy. It will be the most burdensome yoke imaginable… and he will seek every way imaginable to get OUT of that yoke.
h. But when it is a WILLING submission to Christ’s yoke motivated by a genuine LOVE for the Lord… because of the LIFE of Christ in us… then that yoke will be easy… and His burden light!
i. The will makes all the difference.
j. Christ does NOT have preeminence in our lives until we WILLINGLY submit to Him… not until we CHOOSE to say, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
k. His preeminence in our lives is an act of the will. It is a CHOICE on our part.
• Will we choose Christ to be the preeminent One in our lives… or will we choose SELF?
• Who do we love more? That’s the one we’ll choose.
• It is one or the other. There can be no compromise or middle ground.
• You can’t serve two masters. The one we obey is our true master. The other one is actually DESPISED. One HAS to make a choice.
6. Doing the will of God is characteristic of a true believer.
a. Christ came not to do His own will, but the will of His Father.
• Jn. 4:34 – “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me.”
• Jn. 5:30 – “?I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
• Jn. 6:38 – “?For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
• Matt. 26:39 – “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
b. This ought to characterize the life of a believer too.
• Matt. 12:50 – “?For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
• It is an identifying mark of a true believer… it is a proof of conversion… the fruit of regeneration.
• The believer no longer lives to satisfy his own will. Rather, he lives to do the will of God.
• In fact, the closer we get to Christ, the more we will be able to say: I delight to do Thy will O God!
• We will be able to say with the Psalmist, “I delight in thy statutes”… or with Jeremiah, “Thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart.”
• God changes us from within. Believers delight in doing the will of God. That yoke is easy… delightful.
c. The new nature delights in God’s will… BUT—we all have to deal with another nature too: SIN.
• Rom. 7:22 – I delight in the law of God after the inward man… ?But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
• Our delight in God and His Word will be challenged by our old nature which delights in self-will.
• This is an ongoing battle we face every day… a battle of the wills… my will vs. God’s will… Christ vs. self…
OUR WILL IS OFTEN PUT TO THE TEST
1. The language of the Bible is clear. Walking with God has always involved making CHOICES in life.
a. Josh. 24:15 – “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve.”
b. I Kings 18:21 – “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
c. I Sam. 7:3 – And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, “If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only.”
d. Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
e. Rom. 6:16 – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
f. Gal. 1:10 – “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
g. Jas. 4:4 – Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
h. I John 2:15 – “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
2. The everyday choices we make in life reveal to us if Christ is preeminent in our lives or not.
a. Is Christ LORD in your life? Do we give Him the place of preeminence?
b. Do we halt between two opinions? Are we double-minded? Are we tossed to and fro like a wave of the sea? Is our heart united or is our allegiance divided? Do we have a single eye?
c. God will allow situations to arise in our lives where we will be forced to decide between Christ and self; between the will of God and self-will.
d. While the contest is ALWAYS between Christ and self, the particulars may vary.
• It may appear to be a contest between Christ and other things: idols of our heart.
• Between Christ and a besetting sin; the things of the world; money; pleasing men; sports; music; family; education; career; entertainment; pleasure; hobbies; friends; popularity; health; travel; etc.
e. When those situations come upon us, we are forced to decide.
• Until we are actually IN that situation, we may not really KNOW if Christ is preeminent or not.
• We may think so… hope so… even say so… but the choices we make PROVES it (one way or another) and ends the debate.
• This is like the wife who THINKS she is submissive to her husband… because her husband always chooses that which pleases her… and she always submits. It is not until he chooses otherwise that her submission to him is challenged.
• She discovers that that which she THOUGHT was submission was really self-will.
f. Every new situation that comes up in life is a test of our will. Will we choose to please self or Christ? Will we choose to give Christ the preeminence or something else?
• Life is one long, continuous string of choices.
• And while the particulars may vary (Christ vs. skiing; Christ vs. money; Christ vs. friends; etc…) the bottom line and real test is always one of the WILL—HIS will or MY will.
• It is either “My will be done” or “thy will be done.” Choose ye this day! This is a choice: an exercise of will.
AREAS IN WHICH OUR WILL IS TESTED
A. Preeminence of Christ and our tongue…
1. The tongue is a tough animal to tame. No man hath tamed it!
a. The Bible also tells us HOW to use our tongues, and how NOT to use our tongues.
b. Obedience is a choice… an act of our will. We CHOOSE the subjects we speak about.
2. Do we glory in the Lord in our speech or do we glory in self? (I Cor.1.31)
a. What is the theme of our speech? Self?
b. Our accomplishments, deeds, talents, what we’ve done; where we’ve been; the important people we know?
c. Stop and listen to yourself sometime.
d. What is the preeminent theme of our speech, self or Christ?
3. What is the motivation behind our speech, to exalt self or Christ?
a. Prov. 27:2 – “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth.”
b. Ps. 51:15 – “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” (Ps. 63:3-5)
c. Ps. 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
4. Of course we will talk about other issues in life: baseball; politics; current events; the war in Iraq; the economy; your job; your grandchildren… that is perfectly normal and natural.
a. But what is the THEME of our lips? What is the grand topic of our life? Who or what has preeminence in our speech?
b. Do we delight in talking about the Lord and the things of the Lord? Or are we uncomfortable talking about Christ? Do we try to shift the conversation back to baseball?
c. Are we uncomfortable talking about the Lord because we are on unfamiliar territory?
d. We can’t share answered prayers if we are not praying.
e. We can’t share blessings from the Word if we are not reading.
f. We can’t talk much about Christ if we don’t know Him well…
g. The answer is to GET to know Him; spend more time in the Word and in prayer;
h. Learn to DELIGHT yourself in the Lord—and then His praises will be more and more on our lips. Christ will have preeminence in our speech.
i. And even when we are talking about “other things” (economy; family; sports; job; etc.) is Christ lifted up by our conversation?
j. And our speech is important because it is a direct link to the heart.
k. What we SAY is an act of the will… what we say to our children… parents… spouse… boss…
l. Does Christ have preeminence in our speech?
B. Preeminence of Christ in our finances… (Matt. 6:19-24)
1. It is common thinking to divide life into two realms: sacred and secular or spiritual and material.
a. The Bible knows of no such division. For the believer ALL is sacred.
b. As believer-priests, every aspect of life is spiritual… including our finances.
c. Whether a person is poor or rich has NO bearing whatsoever on whether they are carnal or spiritual… Christ centered or self centered. Wrong thinking!
d. That which is problematic for the believer is not the fact that we possess material goods. But it is problematic when they possess us!
e. That is covetousness… and that is called idolatry!
f. Being “possessive” is sin. (This is mine!) That is self exalting.
g. This selfish attitude can be manifested either through spending OR hoarding.
h. Covetousness displaces Christ from His position of preeminence in our lives. It is an idol…
i. At any given moment, either Christ is LORD or materialism is lord. It is one or the other.
j. When one is ruling, the other is displaced. You can’t have two masters simultaneously.
k. John Calvin said, “Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority?.”
2. A master: he owns you; controls you; and you are obligated to him; the one owned by a master has no will of his own.
a. We are servants to one or the other. We take our orders from our master. Who gives you orders?
b. Eventually, the commands of these two masters will conflict or contradict one another. Then the servant is put to the test.
c. Each master will be vying for our heart. “Give me thine heart, son. No, says the other. Give it to me!”
d. Jesus is not saying that it is very difficult to serve two masters. He states that it is impossible. Ye CANNOT!
e. A choice is required. You can’t serve God and money.
3. We are not owners of our finances. We are stewards.
a. And it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful… trusting God; relying upon Him; leaning on God for direction.
b. Stewards are not GIVEN the master’s material goods. Rather, those goods are ENTRUSTED to him… to be used for the good of his master. That is the essence of stewardship.
4. ALL of our money belongs to God and is to be used for the glory of God.
a. Everything we have, we have RECEIVED from God. (What hast thou that thou hast not received?) (Every good gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights…)
b. That does NOT mean that we give it all to the church!
c. It is God’s will for you to pay your bills; mortgage; feed your family; buy clothes; education; going on vacation; insurance; etc. This is part of our testimony—and brings glory to God.
d. For most people, MOST of our money is going to be spent on these things… and that IS God’s will.
e. There is nothing selfish about that.
f. It should be spent with a proper attitude: this is God’s money that I have received from Him… and He in His grace enables me to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. Thank you Lord! God is glorified in that response.
g. Don’t be deceived by unscrupulous “ministries” that try to get your money in their pockets… and twist scripture to do so!
h. It is the Holy Spirit who leads each of us as individuals in the use of the money God has entrusted to us. We are not told how much to give… what percentage to give… be led of the Spirit… and don’t let any MAN tell you how much.
5. The real test comes in our finances through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
a. Are we willing to be led of the Spirit in EVERYTHING we do—including the use of our finances?
b. The Bible does not say what percentage we are to spend on what. No man can tell you either!
c. The use of money is between you and the Lord… period.
d. Hence, it becomes a test of our love for Him… a test of our generosity vs. selfishness… a test of whether we are really willing to submit to God’s will in the use of our money.
e. If Christ has the preeminence in our finances, then we hold everything we own in open hands before Him… WILLING to follow His will… willing to put our head in that yoke.
f. If SELF has the preeminence, we will hold on to our goods with a clenched fist and use it as WE see fit: for me, myself, and mine!
g. We have no right (no ability!) to judge another person in this area… because only he and God know how the Spirit led that individual.
h. Don’t worry about others. We have enough to do to guard our own heart in this matter.
i. As in all other areas of the Christian life, the filling of the Holy Spirit is key.
j. If we are filled with the Spirit—Christ will have the preeminence in everything…
k. Every man is a slave to something. We are either slaves to Christ—or slaves to material things… one or the other.
l. If you are enslaved to material things… the answer is to yield yourself to God and be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death… and delivers us into the willing service to a new master: Christ!
m. Choose you this day whom ye will serve!
6. And as always, the real contest is not between Christ and mammon, but between Christ and SELF.
a. But money makes a man “self-sufficient.” (Who needs the Lord?)
b. Deut. 8:11 – Moses warns the Israelites as they enter the land of milk and honey…
• Beware lest ye forget the Lord…
• Vs.12-14 – pride and spiritual amnesia sets in.
• Vs. 17 – attributing the success to self.
• The rich man is wise in his own conceit. (Prov. 28:11)
• Vs. 18 – forgetting that it is all from the Lord who GIVES us power (strength) to get wealth…
• Vs. 19-20 – if you displace the Lord and replace Him with wealth as your god… you will perish!
• God is dead serious about this. He demands His rightful position and He tolerates no rivals.
• This is pride and self-will: I did all this! To ME be the glory!
c. Who has preeminence, Christ or self-will expressed in covetousness or materialism?
d. Regardless of what we might say, the choices we make in life tell the real story.
e. Take a good hard look at your life. When there is a conflict between serving Christ and serving mammon, who wins?
C. Preeminence of Christ in our time…
1. Col. 4:5 – redeeming the time.
a. Redeeming the time means “buying up the opportunities” that time affords us.
b. Just as a business man seizes every opportunity to advance his business… he takes advantage of bargains and low interest rates… so too the believer, who is a steward of his time seizes the opportunities that time affords us to use that time for the glory of God… and to magnify Christ.
c. How do you use your time?
d. Not one second of time belongs to us. There is no such thing as “my time”… or “free time”… or “family time”… or “ministry time”… or “vacation time”… “work time”… “off time”… “God’s time.”
e. Christ is the Author and Lord of time. Every second we have is on loan from God. He is the Lord and owner of it all. He owns every second of our lives.
f. When it comes to money, there is great inequality. Some men are born into poverty; others are born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
g. But when it comes to time, there is in one sense perfect equality: everyone has exactly the same amount to work with each day.
h. It is our CHOICE how we use it.
2. And our use of time is also a contest between Christ and self… between God’s will and self-will.
a. How WILL I use my time? As I want? For my own good pleasure? Am I lord of my life? Don’t I control my time?
b. Or will I, as a good steward, lay it at the altar and seek HIS will in how I use it… and what I use it for?
c. Do I dare give up… sacrifice precious time to read the Word in the morning? Sacrificing a relaxing night on the couch to come to prayer meeting? To visit the sick? To minister to a brother going through a trial? To make a meal for someone in need? To bring the gospel to a friend? All of this takes time… and involves the priestly offering or sacrifice of time.
d. OR, will such sacrifices interfere with MY plans for my time… a baseball game… extra sleep time… lounging on the couch… going to the beach…to a restaurant…or just doing nothing… all this takes time too.
e. Who IS Lord of my time?
f. And like money, we only have so much time to work with. We are stewards of time…and must give an account.
g. It is NOT God’s will for you to give all your money to the church. Nor is it God’s will for you to spend 7 days a week at church.
h. But we ARE expected to be yielded so that the Spirit can LEAD us in a wise use of God’s time for His glory.
• God wants you to spend time at your job—a reasonable amount… and that may fluctuate at times…
• God wants you to spend time with your family… a reasonable amount of time… don’t be stingy… and not selfish…
• God wants you to spend time with your wife… time with your kids… time with your wife and kids… time with your aging parents.
• God wants you to spend time relaxing and getting refreshed… but not too much or not too little.
• God wants you to spend time taking care of your body… exercise… a reasonable amount of time… (be balanced—it profits a little)
• God wants you to spend time ministering in the local church… a reasonable amount of time… not forsaking it… and not over doing it either!
i. At times it might seem like you are being pulled in all directions – with everyone grabbing at your time.
• I feel that way often…
• Guilt often sets in when you aren’t able to give time to everything that is making demands on your time.
j. BUT – life is so much simpler when Christ is really LORD of our lives… and Lord of our time.
• Be led of the Spirit… God will lead each of us as individuals… and as individual families HOW to use our time for His glory.
• When led of the Spirit, we will experience a guilt-free existence… IF we are Spirit led… and the motive is the glory of God.
• Wake up every day and say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do today?” There is no guilt in that.
• When that’s our attitude, then Christ has preeminence with our time.
• And this is by far the best way to live! The guilt is gone because we are doing His will.
• We need not be discouraged because we didn’t have time to do everything WE wanted to do.
• For some, that involves going to work at the office. For some that means spending all day at school. For some that means staying home and changing diapers.
• Every day there will be 1001 good things that we could have done… and sometimes we feel guilty because we didn’t do all 1001.
• But if we are led of the Spirit, we can be content because we did do what HE wanted us to do.
3. Ps. 31:15 – “My times are in thy hand.” Do you believe that? Live it!
D. Preeminence of Christ in our relationships with people…
1. Do we love the praise of men more than the praise of Christ?
a. John 12:42-43 – there were some who believed but did not act upon their faith because they loved the praise of men more than of God.
b. Here were folks who believed, but whose faith was paralyzed because the praise of men took precedence above the praise from Christ.
c. Christ does not have preeminence there. This is often a choice we are forced to make. We can either decide to win the approval of men or Christ… but not both.
d. These men were AFRAID to say anything that might displease men… they were handcuffed by fear… scared to death of offending anyone…
e. Of course we should avoid offending people unnecessarily. (I disdain the “cowboy Christian” attitude prevalent in some).
f. But certain situations FORCE us to choose… we can either do what is right (which will offend men and honor God) or we can sin by NOT offending men but dishonoring God.
2. Those situations reveal who has the preeminence: Christ—or men?
a. Sometimes this fear of man and love for the praise of men will SILENCE our witness for the Lord.
b. The fear of man caused Peter to deny the Lord 3 times!
c. It can cause us to flatly disobey the Lord. (I Sam. 15:24)
d. It can cause us to compromise our faith… and it can cause us to lead others astray by our actions. (Gal. 2:11-13)
e. It can cause us to change our message. (Gal. 1:9-10)
f. Prov. 29:25 – it brings a snare—such fear can ENSLAVE us… but us in a prison house under servitude to wishes and whims of a Christ-rejecting world…
g. Those who love the praise of men are prisoners to THEIR will. And that will often be in direct opposition to the will of God.
h. Friendship with the world is enmity with God.
3. Do we seek the acceptance of men and ignore the fact that we are accepted in the Beloved? (Eph. 1:6)
a. Some believers are obsessed with being popular… with having friends… they want more than anything for people to like them. That is a sinful attitude.
b. It is not sinful to want friends—but it is wrong to want friends more than ANYTHING… to the point where we are willing to compromise our relationship with Christ in order to obtain their friendship.
c. It is sinful to dote over being accepted by men—and ignore the fact that we are accepted in the Beloved!
d. Which means more to us?
e. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. The opposite is true as well – friendship with God will turn people in the world away from us.
f. Do we give preeminence to social friendship in the world over spiritual fellowship in Christ among believers?
g. But whose acceptance means more? Who has preeminence?
4. Whose acceptance will we CHOOSE? This too is an act of our will… that will be put to the test. …..
5. CONCLUSION — SALVATION: Will you choose Christ as Savior?
The Preeminence of Christ:
and the Heart
Introduction:
1. We have been on Col. 1:18 since the end of January. It is time to move on—but not until we consider one more aspect of the preeminence of Christ… in the heart.
2. The last two weeks on this verse we looked at preeminence and the intellect (mind)… and preeminence and the will. Now we are going to look at the heart of the matter—which is the matter of the heart. (intellect, emotion, and will – 3 parts of personality)
3. If Christ is going to have preeminence in your life and mine, then it has got to come from the heart.
a. If it doesn’t come from the heart, then trying to MAKE Christ preeminent in our lives (by doing this or not doing that) is going to be an unbearable, legalistic burden… His yoke will be anything but light.
b. Living a life characterized by “not my will but Thine be done” will be nigh unto torture… a most unpleasant form of slavery…
c. Some believers attempt to live such a life on sheer will power, grit, and determination… yet after putting in their best efforts, they inevitably fail…
d. Will power, grit, and determination will only take you so far…but eventually, a Christ centered life will prove to be WAY beyond our reach…
e. Many well intentioned believers try and fail several times… and then try and fail… and quit trying!
f. Such efforts really aren’t much different than the Israelites struggling to produce righteousness under the Law… which was a heavy yoke that the Jewish forefathers were not able to bear.
4. That which makes Christianity unique is the indwelling PERSON of Christ Himself! (Col. 1:27)
a. Christ lives in us. His LIFE is in us.
b. This dispensation is completely unique in this way…
c. Christianity is a living, vital, growing relationship to a PERSON.
d. The very essence of this relationship is LOVE… love for God… love for Christ.
e. This love for God is not something that we can conjure up in the flesh… this agape love is the fruit of the Spirit.
f. What is the ONE prerequisite for being filled with the Spirit? Yieldedness… surrender… a submissive heart.
g. When we yield ourselves unto God, the Spirit fills us with this fruit… and we will love the Lord our God with ALL of our heart.
h. For the believer who loves the Lord with his whole heart… the yoke that others find unbearably burdensome, he finds to be an absolute DELIGHT… he discovers that Jesus meant it when He said, “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.”
i. That which makes the difference is a HEART that genuinely loves Christ… yearns for fellowship with Him… longs to know Him more and more… craves after a closer relationship to Him.
j. When yoked together WITH Christ in HIS yoke… we are as close to Him as we can be… and that close relationship of love is what makes the burden light.
k. There is no substitute for that either.
l. Gen. 29:20 – Jacob served 7 years of hard labor for Rachel, but it seemed but a few days because of the LOVE he had for her.
• Imagine if he didn’t love Rachel? Those 7 years would have seemed like a forever… 7 years of hard labor… and he would have grumbled all the way through (you tricked me! This isn’t fair!) It would have been like a prison sentence.
• Human love took the burden out of Jacob’s labor.
1. The ground is cursed and men work by the sweat of their brow; labor is toilsome; wearisome.
2. But love can give a respite from that curse.
3. Knowing that he is working to provide food, shelter, and creature comforts for the wife and kids he loves can take a bit of the sting out of the office grind every day.
4. Human love can take the burden out of labor.
• Divine love can take the burden out of doing the will of God… and make it a delight.
» Sometimes the will of God involves much suffering, affliction, and hardship… but agape love for the Lord can make an otherwise burdensome yoke seem light.
» The believer who truly loves Christ and submits to His yoke isn’t going to be griping about the weight of the yoke; rather he will be rejoicing in the fact that he is yoked together with the One he loves: Christ Himself!
» Do you think that the holy angels who have a ministry in the presence of God complain about all the work they have to do? Being in God’s presence nullifies or makes void any concept of toil that such service might entail. It is a delight.
» II Cor. 4:17-18 – Paul’s afflictions were anything but light… but because his HEART was on Christ and on things above… it seemed light to him. (Our light affliction!?)
• Paul’s heart was on things above… on eternal things… and in particular, his heart was with the Lord Jesus Christ. His love for Christ made those afflictions seem light… and short.
• A heart that is captivated by the Person of Christ will follow Him and His will wherever it leads… regardless of the cost.
• Sheer will power, grit, and determination will peter out long before that.
• The love of God operating in our hearts, produced by the Holy Spirit, and as an evidence of the indwelling LIFE of Christ will take us to heights we could never have imagined… it will take us to higher ground…
• It will enable to say with DELIGHT, Not I but Christ without the slightest twinge of sadness… that MY will won’t be carried out.
• One who truly loves the Lord says, “I delight to do thy will, O God.” “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me.”
• When Jesus said those words He did NOT mean that He delighted in the sufferings that God’s will contained for Him. No, He ANGUISHED over the sufferings.
• But He delighted in fulfilling the will of God because He knew it PLEASED His Father… and He loved the Father… and would do ANYTHING to please Him… whatever the cost. That’s what divine love will do.
Is our heart affection on the blessings, or on the One who gives the blessings?
The example of Job:
1. Job 1:9 – Satan wrongly assumed that Job feared God, served God, and loved God for what he could GET out of it… blessings.
a. Satan assumed that there was some self-serving interest in Job’s love for God and service to Him. (He wouldn’t do all that for nothing!)
b. Job 1:10 – Satan assumed that because God protected and blessed Job with riches… therefore Job loved the Lord.
2. Job 1:11 – Satan assumed that if God took the blessings away, that Job’s faith, love, service, and worship would disappear.
3. God was determined to prove Satan wrong.
4. It is commonly said that the purpose of the book of Job is to answer the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?”
a. Someone else has reworked that question: “Why do the righteous still worship God when they suffer?”
b. This is the question that befuddles the devil and his fallen angels.
5. Satan operates on this basis: that a human being has no higher motive or purpose in life than self interest… that all he does is based on self interest.
a. Satan understands the natural man of the flesh… but does not seem to understand the spiritual man.
b. Gen. 3:5 – Satan appealed to Adam and Eve on this basis: “ye shall be as gods!” He assumed that they would put their own self interests above the Lord. (and they did)
c. Matt. 4:8-9 – Satan tempted Jesus to fall down and worship him… and if He did, Satan would GIVE Him all the kingdoms of the world!
d. Satan badly miscalculated with the Lord. He miscalculates with many believers today too.
e. Satan does not grasp that there is a principle of LIFE in the Spirit filled believer today… and his regenerated heart LOVES the Lord… not for what He gives, but for who He is!
6. Job 13:15 – “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”
a. These words must have caused the devil’s head to spin! This is incomprehensible to the Devil… or to the world… or even a carnal Christian.
b. Remember that brethren – when God puts you through the crucible… the fiery furnace…
c. God has several purposes in it all:
• To confound our enemies…
• To bring us forth as gold…
• To magnify His blessed Son, the Lord Jesus.
d. And God DOES slay us… test us… try us… put us through the fires of affliction. The believer who is Christ centered will esteem Christ’s glory above his own comfort—and STILL trust in Him!
7. Job 23:10 – He knoweth the way I take. When Job was tested he said, “My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.” (vs.11)
a. He refused to step OUT OF the way when the fires were applied. That too must have confounded the enemy of our souls!
b. Job’s attitude exposed the devil’s plan and attitude to be a lie!
c. Job did NOT love God just because God blessed him… and that was proven when the blessings were taken away… and he STILL loved the Lord!
d. God had the preeminence in his life…
e. And what was it that finally resolved all of these issues for Job? It wasn’t the blessings… but the One who BLESSED!
f. Job got a fresh glimpse of who God is… (where were you when I laid the foundations…) This was sufficient for Job.
g. Is it sufficient for you? Is Christ HIMSELF sufficient to keep us going… walking… yielding… surrendering to His yoke… presenting our bodies a living sacrifice?
h. OR, are we moved by self interests… what we can GET from God… what He will DO for me…
8. Job’s test proved to men and angels that God had first place in his heart.
a. It was the Giver, not the gift that had captivated Job’s heart.
b. Job had a heart for God… the only thing that could satisfy his heart was a glimpse of God…
c. Our hearts are deceitful. We might THINK that Christ has first place in our hearts… we might think that we love the Lord with all our heart… while in reality, our heart’s affection is rather on the BLESSINGS He gives us.
d. It may not be until those blessings are removed that we can know for SURE where our affections really lie.
e. Hab. 3:17-18 – Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: ? 18?Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
f. Habakkuk rejoiced in the PERSON of God… in the Lord… not in what the Lord would DO for him…
g. God will put every one of us to this kind of test at one point or another… to reveal to US what our heart condition is… and where our affections really lie.
The example of the psuedo disciples:
1. Do we really want to know HIM or is it that we want something FROM Him?
2. John 6:14-15 – many came to Christ “when they saw the bread.” (What He could do for them) They even wanted to make Him King! (A king who provides free lunch!)
3. John 6:26 – Jesus knew WHY folks came to Him. (Of course!)
a. He could see their motive.
b. They were not attracted to Him but rather to His gifts.
c. This is often the case today… hence the great interest in the charismatic movement—what Christ can do for you! (Healing; make you feel better; health and wealth; etc.)
4. John 6:60, 66 – When Christ suggested that they come to Him for who He is, the Bread of Life… most turned away.
a. When they discovered that Christ was really offering Himself to them… rather than what He could DO for them, they all went away… the congregation dwindled from 5000 to 12.
5. Christ has preeminence in our lives only when we are genuinely attracted to Him for who He is… not what He can do for us.
a. If we are attracted to Christ because we hope to have Him DO something for us… (healing; job; finances; family problems; etc.) then we are coming to Him for the wrong reasons.
b. Christ has preeminence in our lives when we are attracted to Him… and want to spend time learning of Him… praying in His name… reading His Word… fellowshipping with His people… worshipping in His house… even if our health stinks… and our finances have taken a nosedive… and we have family problems galore!
c. Is your heart affection on Christ… or is it really attached to what you hope Christ will DO for you?
Is our heart’s affection given to the Person of Christ… or to the “Cause” of Christ?
1. Christ has the preeminence when we are occupied with HIM and not a Christian lifestyle.
a. Don’t misunderstand here. We are all in favor of a Christian lifestyle.
b. The fact that a believer is occupied with a Christian lifestyle does not guarantee that he is also occupied with Christ.
c. Sometimes folks come to a Christian church, get saved, and (quite naturally!) LOVE the new lifestyle!
• They are now making friends with people who don’t drink, smoke, lie, swear, or run around!
• They are fascinated by this new clean lifestyle and it is quite appealing to them.
• They love the fact that their kids now have made some wholesome friends…
• They enjoy the church activities
• This is fine as far as it goes; but if this is as far as it goes, it is woefully inadequate!
• An unsaved man can change his lifestyle.
• And for a person who has been living a sleazy kind of life, a wholesome lifestyle with Christian values can seem attractive…
• And yet, that person may NOT be occupied with the person of Christ at all!
d. There are lots of ways that believers might become occupied with a Christian lifestyle… and promoting Christian values.
• Some folks are quite involved politically and socially in preserving Christian values.
• Some give themselves to working in a soup kitchen.
• Some become active in working to preserve the Christian view of marriage: one woman one man. (signing petitions)
• Some are active in working to preserve Christian values by opposing abortion. (marching on city hall)
• Some are active in passing out tracts and evangelizing… even serving as a missionary.
2. While there is a place for all of this earthly activity if the Lord so moves you, be aware that it is possible to be occupied with the cause of Christ and NOT be occupied with Christ Himself!
a. HE HIMSELF is to have the preeminence in our lives… not His cause… not His service… not Christian values, but Christ Himself!
b. Being occupied with preserving Christian values can be quite earthly in nature – a desire to enhance life here on earth… to make the world a better place to live. If Christ is not preeminent, then this differs not from the social gospel…
c. If that is all Christianity is to you, then you have missed the point… Christianity isn’t about promoting Christian values. Christianity is Christ… and our relationship to Him…
Christ has preeminence in our lives when we have a heart for Him and nothing else…
1. Ps. 73:25-26 – Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.? 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
a. The psalmist’s affection for God was beginning to wane.
b. Vs. 3 – his affection slipped from God to “things.”
c. His eyes were no longer on the Lord, but he SAW the prosperity of the wicked. His eyes (and hence – his heart affection) was on the things wicked men possessed… that he DIDN’T have.
d. Vs. 13 – he actually began thinking like the devil!
• Satan believes that men serve God only for what they can GET from Him.
• Now Asaph was smitten with that twisted thinking.
• He was feeling like he served God for nothing! He kept his hands clean… and it was all in vain—because God didn’t bless him with material goods like the wicked men had.
• Now that he didn’t have the blessings, why serve God? What good did it do me?
• Asaph walked with God, hoping to be blessed—and he wasn’t!
• He was plagued and chastened (vs. 14)
• And the wicked seemed to have more earthly blessings and wealth than he did.
e. Vs. 16 – This became too painful for Asaph to contemplate.
f. Vs. 17 – This was too painful UNTIL he went into the sanctuary.
• There, God changed his thinking.
• There he got a fresh glimpse of who God is.
• There his twisted thinking… that had been influenced by the devil got a realignment.
• Vs. 18 – he realized that the wicked who prosper in this world are only a breath away from eternity in hell!
• Going into the sanctuary… spending time with God gave him a whole new perspective.
g. Vs. 25-26 – But this was Asaph’s greatest lesson.
• He learned that GOD was his portion!
• The wicked can have all the earthly blessings; Asaph really wanted God Himself!
• Asaph got it settled in his heart that there was no one and nothing in heaven or on earth that he really desired but God!
• He realized afresh that God was sufficient… that God was all he needed…
• He realized that prosperity could never satisfy his heart…
• People in the world may dote over good health and prosperity… over finances and real estate… but the believer has something infinitely better: God is our portion! And He will never leave us nor forsake us!
• Asaph went into the sanctuary of God and had a heart adjustment.
• His desires and affection were set on prosperity… but when he came out of the sanctuary, his desire was for the Lord.
• He realized how BLESSED he already was… since God was his portion!
• How much MORE should we as Christians grasp this: we who have been blessed with ALL spiritual blessings in Christ!
2. We often have the same heart problem that Asaph experienced.
a. Our affections DRIFT away from Christ to other things.
b. We too need to make heart adjustments from time to time.
c. Hence, Paul tells us to “set our affections” on things above, not on the things of the earth.
d. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house. (I Chron. 29:3)
• David set his affection on the earthly house of God.
• We are to set our affections in the heavenly house of God.
• David set his affection… we are to do the same.
• Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. (I Chron. 22:19)
• And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.? 17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah. (II Chron. 11:14)
• Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. (Ps. 62:10)
• We can SET our heart on things we choose to set our hearts on.
e. Ps. 91:14 – God praised the psalmist because he set his love upon the Lord!
• Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
• He set his love upon the Lord… and God took notice and delivered him.
• What we set our love upon… what we set our affections upon is OUR choice.
• This kind of affection or love doesn’t just HAPPEN. It is guided… and selected… chosen… and it is our responsibility.
• And if we struggle in it, ask the Lord to INCLINE your heart towards spiritual things.
• Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. (Ps. 119:36)
• The heart can be inclined in various directions… pray! It is OUR responsibility, but it requires the power of God in us to do so!
• We are COMMANDED to love the Lord with all our heart and NOT to love the world.
• We are commanded to set our affections on things above where CHRIST sits… and not on other things.
• It is our choice.
• For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt. 6:21)
• This is how we know where our heart is… Jesus says it will always be attached to that which we treasure.
• If we treasure earthly things, then our heart is earthly. If we treasure heavenly things, then our heart will be there – in heavenly things.
• Nobody can say, “My heart is with Christ in heaven; but I treasure the things of earth.” Our treasure and our heart will be in the SAME place.
3. Is there a heart yearning for Him?
a. Here is the real test of whether Christ has preeminence in your life or not.
b. What does your heart yearn for? Does it yearn for Christ?
c. Is your heart’s greatest desire to KNOW Him and the power of His resurrection?
d. Does your heart LONG for fellowship with Christ?
e. Does your heart look forward with great anticipation for the Lord’s Day… a time to gather with those of like precious faith to worship Christ as His Body?
f. Ps. 42:1-2 – Does your heart pant after God as a deer pants after brooks of refreshing water? Does your soul thirst for God?
• The psalmist was evidently away from the Temple and was being taunted by his unbelieving enemies.
• He remembered the joyous times of worship and fellowship… and longed for those times again.
• His heart was on the things of God; His affections were with the Lord… and he realized that NOTHING else could satisfy the needs of his heart BUT God!
g. In fact, this is the way God made us!
• God made man to worship Him and fellowship with Him.
• God made man with a hole in his heart that only GOD could fill.
• Since sin entered the world, men have been trying to fill that hole in the heart with all kinds of others things… but NOTHING satisfies long term.
• A new house won’t do it; a new spouse; a baby; a BMW; becoming CEO; becoming king wouldn’t satisfy.
• Some believers seek to bring satisfaction to their lives by seeking after THINGS. Christ does not have preeminence in their lives.
• Other believers realize what the psalmist realized: nothing satisfies the needs of the heart but God!
• That believer in whose life Christ IS preeminent will THIRST after Christ… more and more of Him… less and less of self.
• He realizes that true satisfaction comes only by knowing Christ in a deeper way… His soul thirsts for Christ…
• Ps. 63:1-2 – O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty? land, where no water is; ? 2To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.”
• He understood that only God can satisfy the heart. This man was God-centered!
• Ps. 84:1-2 – How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”
• Jesus said: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” The only ones who are filled are those who hunger.
• Do YOU hunger and thirst after righteousness? After Christ Himself?
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN:
1. Life on earth will be unfulfilling… but your future is even worse: eternity in the fires of hell! (Heaven and hell are real…and eternal!)
2. John 3:7, 3 – That’s why Jesus said, “Ye MUST be born again!” “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.”
3. Christ died and paid the penalty of your sins.
4. He has commanded all men to repent – to BELIEVE on Him and be saved! (John 1:12)
In Him All Fullness Dwells
Introduction:
1. Paul has been exalting the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout this section of Colossians.
a. Vs. 14 – In Him we have redemption.
b. Vs. 15 – He is the image of the invisible God.
c. Vs. 16 – He is the creator of all things and all things were created FOR Him.
d. Vs. 17 – He is before all things; by Him all things consist.
e. Vs. 18 – He is the Head of the Body.
f. Vs. 18 – He is the firstborn from the dead.
g. Vs. 18 – In all things He is to have the preeminence.
h. Vs. 20 – He is the Reconciler between a holy God and sinful men… He and He alone made peace through the blood of His cross.
2. Why is Christ to be so exalted? Why should He have preeminence in ALL things?
a. Because of who He is!
b. In Him ALL fullness dwells.
3. Reasons for the statement in the context:
a. It serves as a sort of capstone for this section on the exaltation of Christ.
b. It introduces His ministry as Reconciler. (v. 20-22)
c. It also serves to answer the false teachers in Colossae who had some very wrong concepts about the Person of Christ.
The Fullness and Christ
A. It Pleased the Father…
1. Note that the words the Father are italicized.
a. They are not in the original, but were added by the translators.
b. There is no subject for the verb “pleased.”
c. Greek: lit = because in Him was pleased all the fullness to dwell.
d. The KJV translators translated the words perfectly accurately… but sometimes translation necessarily includes some interpretation… as is the case here.
• The KJV ADDED the words “the Father” and acknowledged this by using italics.
• They did so because in several other passages, the Bible speaks of the Father being pleased to carry out His will.
• It IS a common expression in the Scriptures… and certainly makes perfect sense here.
e. Or, it could be understood as the subject of the verb (as Darby’s translation renders it).
• Darby’s translation: “for in him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell.”
• This translation also deals honestly with the text, fits the context, makes sense, and does not require the translators to ADD anything for it to make sense. It makes sense all by itself.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were in complete agreement that Christ was the perfect vehicle for the expression of deity to both men and angels.
f. Either way, the meaning is quite similar:
• Either the Father was pleased that all fullness should dwell in the Son…
• Or the entire Trinity was pleased that all fullness should dwell in the Son.
• The point is that DEITY was pleased that this fullness should dwell in the Son.
2. It PLEASED each of the Persons of the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that in the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity ALL fullness should reside… and be manifested.
a. This does not speak of a decree by which deity was conferred upon the Son. (as if at some point in time this fullness came upon Christ)
b. Rather, it simply speaks of the fact that the Persons of the Godhead are in perfect agreement… one accord.
c. All the fullness of the entire Godhead resides in Christ.
d. Every divine power and attribute possessed by the Father and the Spirit is also possessed by Christ.
e. Each of the persons of the Trinity are pleased with this.
3. By learning of Christ, we get to know God… the fullness of the Godhead.
a. We get to know GOD through Christ, because in Christ dwells ALL the fullness of the Godhead.
b. The modern charismatic emphasis on the Holy Spirit is NOT in harmony with the Word of God. They seek to know God through the Holy Spirit.
c. If we want to know the Godhead… what God is like… we are to seek Christ… set our affections on things above where CHRIST is seated… we are to be looking unto JESUS… the Author and Finisher of our faith…
d. The modern trend towards a “generic God” in the ecumenical world is not in harmony with God’s Word either.
e. We are to know God through His Son, Jesus Christ… the only true God… all others are imposters. (Try saying that at a World Council of Churches meeting!)
f. The Bible is clear on this point: Jesus Christ is the One we are to seek, to worship, to exalt, and lift up on high.
g. And since in HIM dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, we are ALSO lifting up GOD… exalting the other Blessed Persons of the Trinity… but we are doing it God’s WAY!
h. We bring glory to God by glorifying His Son. That’s God’s method and plan for this age.
i. The Godhead is pleased when the Son of God is lifted up and magnified.
j. John 13:31 – “Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”
B. All Fullness
a. Fullness: pleroma
completeness, fullness, total quantity
b. The verse states clearly that in Christ all fullness dwells.
• But it begs the question: WHAT is this fullness which dwells in Christ? Christ is full of WHAT?
• Some have suggested He is full of saving, reconciling grace, which is true, but this term implies more.
2. 2:9 – seems to explain this “fullness” for us.
a. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily.
b. Godhead = deity; divine essence and nature.
c. The completeness of Deity resides in Christ.
d. Present tense: all the fullness of the Godhead CONTINUALLY resides permanently in Christ!
e. Christ has ALL the fullness of Deity… not a portion thereof.
f. “A recognized technical term in theology, denoting the totality of the Divine powers and attributes” (Lightfoot)
g. Christ possesses the totality of divine attributes. This fullness dwelt in Him.
h. This seems to be the meaning in 1:19. (Scripture (2:9) sheds light on Scripture.
3. This is the ONLY reason why Paul could say of Him:
a. All things were created by Him… and for Him (vs. 16) He is head of the old creation… because all the fullness of deity resides in Him!
b. By Him all things consist… (vs. 17) … because all the fullness of deity resides in Him!
c. He is the Head of the Body… (vs. 18) He is Head of the New Creation… the church.
d. He might have all the preeminence… (vs. 18)
e. For: (because) in Him dwells all the fullness of Deity—that’s why!
f. Christ is able to FUNCTION as Deity because He IS Deity! He possesses the TOTALITY of Deity.
C. Dwell (two different Greek terms for dwell)
1. Paroikeo – to dwell beside (one) or in one’s neighborhood, to live near; to be or dwell in a place as a stranger, to sojourn.
a. This term speaks of a temporary dwelling; sojourn.
b. Used in Heb.11:9 – of Abraham “sojourning” in the land of promise (temporary tent dwelling).
c. Used in I Pet. 1:17 – of the believer of this age who is to “pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” (This world is not our permanent home.)
d. This term is NOT used in Colossians.
2. Katoikeo – to dwell; to inhabit; to settle down and be at home.
a. This term speaks of a permanent dwelling; settling down.
b. This is the term Paul uses of the fullness dwelling in Christ.
c. It is not a temporary sojourn or visitation, as the cults would have us to believe. It is a permanent dwelling.
d. Paul uses just the right verb to describe the relationship between Christ and the fullness of Deity.
• Christ was able to FUNCTION as Deity because all fullness dwells in Him.
• And note that Paul says that all the fullness DWELLS permanently in Him.
• The Christian Science cult states that deity only temporarily resided in Him. Paul states that the fullness of the Godhead dwells permanently in Him.
• It is not a matter of acting or functioning as Deity. The fullness of Deity resides in Him whether we see Him acting on it or not!
• As we read of Christ in His period of humiliation in the gospels… tired, weary, weak… He is choosing not to ACT upon His deity… but the fullness of Deity resides in Him nonetheless… because of who He is!
e. The fact that this fullness DWELLS (is at home) in Christ indicates also that the fullness of deity was not something that was “added” to Him.
• The fullness of Deity ALWAYS belonged to Christ.
• It is His essence as Deity… as God.
• It is not a foreign attribute that is given to Him for a time—as many of the cults claim.
• This fullness of Deity is at HOME in Him.
3. Christ IS the fullness of the Godhead. He possesses ALL the fullness bodily.
a. That cannot be said of a mere man…
b. This is one of the best and most concise expressions of Christ’s deity in the Bible.
c. Every divine attribute of the Father is possessed by the Son.
d. John 5: 19c – whatever the Father does, the Son can do!
e. John 5:21 – the Father raises the dead; so does the Son.
f. John 5:23 – all men should give the same kind of honor to the Son that they give to the Father. What kind of honor do we give to the Father? Divine honor… worship as God!
4. The fullness of the Godhead has ALWAYS resided in Christ.
a. In the beginning the Word was with God and was God (John 1:1). The Word—the Son—possessed the fullness of the Godhead in the beginning.
b. The fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him before His incarnation, when He was ‘in the form of God’ (Phil. 2:6).
c. During His incarnation and period of humiliation, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Christ. (John 1:14).
d. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in His glorified humanity in heaven as our Great High Priest… in His glorified human body. He STILL possesses the fullness of the Godhead.
e. The fullness of the Godhead has always dwelt permanently in Christ and always will.
f. This is His very essence… His nature… and His nature never changes.
The Fullness and the Gnostic
1. Vincent:
a. (Πληρωμα) (fullness) was used by the Gnostic teachers in a technical sense, to express the sum-total of the divine powers and attributes.
b. ‘From the pleroma (Πληρωμα) they supposed that all those lesser beings emanated… (angels; demi-gods, etc.)
c. The Gnostics believed that these mediatorial beings were influenced by this pleroma, or even traced their descent through successive evolutions from it.
d. But in all cases this pleroma was distributed, diluted, transformed, and diminished by foreign admixture.
e. Thus, these emanations from God were only partial and blurred images, often deceptive caricatures of their original, broken lights of the great Central Light’
f. These were less than deity… polluted forms…
g. They believed that all these lesser beings contained a part of the “fullness”… that the divine powers and attributes were divided among them… each receiving a portion.
h. Those higher on the scale (closer to God) received more; those lower on the scale, (closer to humanity) received less.
i. Christ, because He was a man (or close to a man), was considered to be ranked with these inferior images of Deity by the false teachers in Colossae.
j. They believed that there were endless genealogies of emanations from God to the material world and that Christ was an exalted emanation from a mere man’s perspective, but an emanation nonetheless… and infinitely inferior to God… He falls short of pure deity in the minds of the Gnostics.
2. Paul combats this false teaching in Colossians. He states that Christ is the very IMAGE of God… not some inferior, tainted, diminished image of God! (vs. 15)
3. Christ is the FULNESS of Deity… not a diluted emanation from it… Christ possesses the sum total of divine attributes!
a. ALL fullness dwells in Him…
b. Not just touch of it… not diminished in the slightest: ALL.
c. The Gnostics had a term to describe FULL deity: pleroma. This is the term that Paul picks up on and relates it to Christ. The Gnostics knew exactly what Paul meant by this term!
4. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. (2:9)
5. Thus, as Paul was teaching the Colossians about Christ as our Redeemer and Reconciler… he at the same time was also combating the false teachers who were busy presenting “another Jesus.”
The Fullness and the Believer
1. II Cor. 3:18 – we are to grow from glory to glory… UNTO the image of Christ… that’s our goal.
a. But it is never said that all fullness “resides” in the believer.
b. Our goal is to become more and more godly, but we never become gods. That was the lie of the devil.
c. But the believer IS related to this “fullness.” (Col. 2:9-10 – complete = full)
d. We will look at this in more detail in ch. 2, but for now, Christ the Vine fills the believer OUT OF His infinite resources as the FULLNESS of God!
2. He is all we need.
a. Col.1:18c states that in ALL THINGS Christ might have the preeminence.
• We have ONE Savior; one Master; one will; one yoke; one LIFE… His life in us!
• Everything else is to be put aside so that Christ might have preeminence in our lives.
• The old nature will never give Him that place… hence, the old nature needs to be kept in its place by faith: reckoning that our old man DIED… we no longer are enslaved to that old manner of life.
• When we reckon SELF to be dead to sin and to the world… THEN we discover that Christ is ALL our new man will ever NEED.
• The One who takes preeminence above all else is all sufficient.
• When we come to the end of SELF (reckoning self dead; leaving our self life on the cross where it belongs)… THEN and only then does Christ have preeminence in our lives.
• And when that occurs—(yoke; altar; cross)—we discover that we begin partaking of the fullness that He has been waiting for us to enjoy…
• When we have exhausted our store of endurance; when our strength has failed ere the day is half done; when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun!
b. As Vine… the fullness of the Godhead resides in Him. The branches abiding in Him are well cared for.
• Col. 2:9 – the Vine is full of the fullness of the Godhead…
• Col. 2:10 – the believer is FULL in Him!
• As we abide in Christ, we have all that the Godhead is available to us… moment by moment… according to our every need.
• Everything that the Vine is and has is accessible to the branch that abides in that Vine!
• Everything the branch could ever need is more than supplied out of the fullness of the Vine.
• HIS fullness becomes OUR unending resource!
c. Our Great High Priest: all fullness of the Godhead permanently resides in Him.
• John 1:16 – Christ possesses the fullness of grace and truth.
• The believer receives of His fullness. (same word).
• How much grace and truth is there for us to receive? How much can we draw upon? All the FULLNESS!
• Grace for grace = grace upon (anti) grace—like waves of the sea… unending; piling up; one upon another!
• If there is any lack in a believer, it is not because the fullness has been depleted. It is a matter of receptiveness on our part.
• Fullness of grace and truth is made available—but we must receive it… by faith…
• We can have all we able to receive… all we make room for. But if our life is full of others things—God’s grace is crowded out.
• John 1:17 – Grace and truth came through Christ… (not that they didn’t exist in the Old Testament—but they reach their FULLNESS in the Person of Christ.)
• Heb. 4:16 – we can come to Christ our High Priest and receive grace to help in time of need.
• How much grace is available through Christ? All fullness… all that God has… an unending resource!
• We don’t tire God out by coming to Him every day… or even every hour. He delights in us coming to Him!
• His resources are not diminished one bit.
d. As the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls… all the power, grace, and wisdom of deity reside in Him and is available to us.
• The Good shepherd knows every need of our soul… better than we do!
• He knows when to use the rod; when to cause us to lie down in green pastures; when to chasten our soul; when to restore our soul…
• The One in charge of YOUR soul has all the fullness of the Godhead available to be used in restoring your soul when cast down… in leading you beside the still waters…
• Our souls are in good hands in Christ.
e. As our Savior from sin… the fullness of the Godhead resides in Him.
• Christ is not only the Savior from the penalty of sin, but He is also our Savior from the power of sin in our lives.
• As we abide in Christ, there is no temptation or testing in life that can ruin us spiritually.
• The One who is presently rescuing us from sin as we rest in Him… has ALL POWER to do so! (Satan desired to sift you as wheat…)
• Sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace – a grace relationship to Christ our Savior.
f. As Head of the Body… all fullness dwells permanently in Him.
• There is nothing we could ever possibly need to function in the Body but that our Head is able to provide!
• Holding the Head… [Col. 2:19] (and thus all the fullness of Deity) the Body grows and increases with the increase of God!
• Eph. 4:13 – the believer is to grow UNTO the stature of the fullness of Christ… though we never arrive.
» God expects the believer to be growing “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
» He never arrives at perfect Christlikeness, (that awaits His coming when we shall be like Him!)
» But we are expected to achieve a “measure” of it now… in this life… as God works in us.
» He is to mature unto a “perfect man” =full grown… mature…
» Christ grew in wisdom and stature while on earth… and He will reproduce that kind of growth in us as we yield to Him.
• Eph. 3:19 – God’s purpose for the believer is that he might be filled (eis) UNTO the fullness of God. That is our goal.
» The KJV makes it sound like the believer can be filled with the fullness of the Godhead just as Christ is.
» The believer certainly does not POSSESS the fullness of the Godhead in that sense.
» The preposition (eis) is not with but UNTO… as a goal.
» The goal of the believer is to be FILLED UNTO the fullness of God. That divine fullness is the unlimited resource from which we draw… grace after grace… all the spiritual resources we could ever need.
» Becoming more like Christ is our goal…
» God’s purpose is that we might be filled more and more, not with deity… but with God’s power, God’s mercy, God’s holiness, God’s character…
» Every member of the Body has complete, unrestricted access to the fullness of the Godhead through our Head, Jesus Christ.
» Positionally, the believer is complete or FULL in Christ… but practically, we have a long way to go. Hence, we are to be filled UNTO (eis) the fullness of God… appropriating Godly qualities in our lives by faith…
» Moment by moment as the need arises… the grace and strength is there… the fullness!
• Eph. 1:23 – the Body is full of Christ—the One who fills it.
» And Christ is full of the fullness of the Godhead.
» Hence, the Body is full of GOD Himself… His power, grace, holiness, mercy, truth, righteousness, love, etc.
» The Body is RICHLY supplied with all it could ever need… all of the resources of God Himself.
» And while we may see all the spots and wrinkles—that is NOT how God sees the Body. He sees the Body as perfectly supplied with and FILLED with the fullness of God…
» There is unlimited potential in the Body of Christ… we are thus ABLE to walk in newness of life… if we will reckon self to be dead and alive unto God.
» Even this little assembly… has access to the fullness of the Godhead… IF we will be constantly looking unto Jesus… yielded to His Spirit… submitted to His yoke… dead to sin, self, the law, and the world… and alive unto God and His will!
» But what great things God can accomplish THROUGH a yielded Body… which becomes but a vehicle for the fullness of the Godhead…
3. ALL FULLNESS is an infinite source for all of our needs.
a. All the fullness of the Godhead resides permanently in our Savior.
b. This is an infinite source of grace, strength, courage, wisdom, and resurrection power available to every believer by faith.
c. No trouble is too big for our Savior…
d. No trial is too great for Him…
e. No need we could ever have is too much for Him to supply.
f. We come to Christ as a pauper in need… and find Him to be riches untold… available freely… from one who loves us with an everlasting love…
g. We come to Christ thirsty… and discover Him to be an ocean of pure, refreshing water… from which we can drink till we are full and then some… and the supply is undiminished.
h. When we come to Christ hungry… weak and without strength, we discover that He is the Bread of Life… and that He has all the fullness of the Godhead available to feed our hungry soul… and give strength to our grip on life.
i. When we come to Christ in all of our troubles, trials, and weaknesses… He supplies all our need from His fullness!
j. And we discover as Paul said, “When I am weak, then am I strong!”
k. When we come to the end of our resources, we will discover God’s power… and not a moment before.
l. We will discover the fullness of the Godhead—all He is and all He has is ours…
m. And when we learn to LEAN rather than manipulate, to trust rather than to DO, to rest rather than resist… we will discover the fullness of God’s power is available to us in the Person of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Reconciliation of All Things
Introduction:
1. In verses 19-22, Paul speaks about Christ as Reconciler.
2. This section is divided into two main sections:
a. Reconciliation of all things (restoration of creation)
b. Reconciliation of enemies (salvation for believers)
3. This morning we will look at the first section: restoration of the creation.
By him to reconcile all things unto himself…
A. By Him…
1. As Paul begins to discuss this grand theme of reconciliation, he begins with Christ! “By Him!”
2. The “Him” to which Paul refers is the Christ of vs.18-19.
a. Christ – the One who in all things is to have the preeminence.
b. Christ – the One in whom permanently dwells all the fullness… the totality of Divine power and attributes.
c. By HIM all things were reconciled. He is ABLE… He is Divine…
d. By Him… the One who created all things and for whom all things were created… By Him were all things reconciled.
3. Consider the flow of the sentence:
a. All the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to permanently reside in Christ…
b. And by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself…
c. The Trinity was pleased that all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Christ and the Trinity was pleased that Christ should be the one to bring about reconciliation of all things.
4. By Him – (through Him)
a. Agency – Christ was the agent through whom the Godhead provided reconciliation
b. The Godhead was pleased that all fullness reside in Christ…
c. The Godhead was pleased to bring about reconciliation through the agency of Christ – the Second Person in the Godhead.
d. God reconciled all things THROUGH Christ the Son.
e. It was by Him (Christ) that God was able to bring about reconciliation with a cursed creation and fallen creatures… because the Son of God became a Man… He entered into creation… and became part of creation as a human being.
f. God could not have brought about reconciliation in any other way… it required a special kind of agency: the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
g. I Tim. 2:5 – there is one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus.
• Christ was the Mediator between God and man because He was BOTH God and Man.
• Christ was the perfect agency for the Godhead to use to bring about reconciliation between God and cursed creation and God and fallen creatures… because Christ became a Man… (not a fallen man; but a man)
B. To Reconcile
1. Reconcile:
a. Aorist active infinitive…
b. An infinitive needs another verb to complete the thought.
• The flow of thought: It pleased God that all fullness should dwell in Christ and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.
• Again, that unnamed subject (God, Father, Godhead) carries over into this verse too.
• The verb PLEASED also carries over. God was pleased that all fullness dwell in Christ… and God was pleased that through Him all things should be reconciled to Himself.
• That Christ was able to reconcile a cursed earth and fallen creatures was pleasing to God. God delights in reconciling. He does not delight in judgment. He will judge because divine justice demands it… but He is pleased to reconcile.
• God was pleased to bring about reconciliation through the Son—even though the cost to Him was infinite… the death of His Son.
• “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him” = in the sense that the bruising of the Son meant reconciliation for a cursed earth and believing sinners!
2. Reconcile – There are several different words for reconcile in the New Testament.
a. Diallasso = mutual concession after mutual hostility.
• Used of making up after a fight—when both parties share in the blame.
• This term is never used of being reconciled to God.
b. katallasso = to change or exchange from one state to another.
• Used of money – changing denomination
• Used of persons – being changed from enmity to friends
• Used of being adjusted to a standard – reconciling one’s watch to the proper time if the watch drifted off a bit.
c. apokatallasso = to reconcile completely.
• This is the term Paul used in Col. 1:20.
• It is an intensive form of katallasso… and speaks of a complete reconciliation.
• To reconcile completely; to reconcile back again, bring back a former state of harmony
C. All Things
1. The Godhead was pleased to reconcile all things unto Himself through the agency of His Son, Jesus Christ.
2. What is included in the all things that are to be reconciled? This is an important expression in Col.
a. Col. 1:16 – all things were created by Him… and for Him.
b. Col. 1:17 – He is before all things and by Him all things consist…
c. Col. 1:18 – He is to have preeminence in all things…
d. Col. 1:20 – God is pleased to reconcile all things unto Himself…
3. Christ created all things… and all things (the creation) were affected by the fall.
a. Gen. 1:31- when created by Christ, all things were very good. (all things (everything) includes man and angels in their unfallen state).
b. Shortly after this pronouncement, Satan fell… iniquity was found in him. Satan lured 1/3 of the angelic realm with him in his rebellion against God.
c. Suddenly, all things in the heavens were no longer “very good.” Iniquity was found in the very heavens… the realm of fallen angels.
d. Satan is the prince of the power of the “air” and his presence has been polluting the heavens for many centuries. In fact, he even has access to the heaven of heavens… where he comes day and night to accuse the brethren.
e. Then Satan lured Adam and Eve into his rebellion… and sin entered the world of mankind. Suddenly all things on earth were no longer “very good.”
f. Because of man’s sin, God cursed the earth… (Gen. 3:17-19)
g. Because of sin and rebellion in the angelic realm and in the human realm, ALL THINGS in heaven and earth have been affected by sin and the curse.
4. Rom. 8:19-23 – the entire created world has been corrupted by the fall.
a. Vs. 19 – the whole creation is awaiting the time when the sons of God will be redeemed bodily…
• Why? Because the creation was affected negatively by man’s sin, fall, and curse.
• Creation will also be affected positively by man’s reconciliation to God… the ultimate phase of it—at Christ’s Second Coming.
b. Man’s sin brought a curse upon creation. Man’s salvation will bring about redemption and reconciliation for the created world.
• The created world here does not include holy angels (they are not subject to bondage).
• This passage does not refer to Satan or fallen angels either—for the cross and the coming of Christ do not bring liberty to them… but their final judgment in the lake of fire.
• This passage is not speaking about unsaved men who die in their sin. There is no hope for them… no reconciliation…
• Creation here refers to the realm over which Adam and Eve were given responsibility… the earth… rivers, mountains, animals, plants, etc.
• All of this was affected by their sin and fall.
• The sons of God will be manifested at the Second Coming of Christ… they (we!) will be manifested for what we really ARE: sons of God!
c. Manifested = ἀποκαλυψις = an unveiling…
• Today, it is not manifest to the world that we are the sons of God.
• We look just like the lost… and sometimes act like them! It is hard to tell who is who today… with moral, upright religious unbelievers and carnal, worldly Christians…
• I John 3:1 – the world does not know us today.
• But there is coming a day when Christ returns… and we shall be LIKE HIM… we shall share in His glory. In that day it will be manifest to men and angels that we are in fact sons of God!
d. Vs. 20 – the creation was made subject to vanity…
• Vanity: what is devoid of truth and appropriateness; empty; fruitless; unable to fulfill its purpose.
• God had a glorious purpose for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as co-rulers to have dominion over the whole earth…
• But that purpose was foiled temporarily by sin. God’s purpose for the creation was unable to be fulfilled… vanity set in… frustration and futility (which Solomon describes in Ecclesiastes!)
• The world as we know it today is SUBJECTED to vanity.
• It is under the power and authority of vanity.
• God subjected the world in this condition—the curse.
• And all the efforts of the environmental groups will help a little… but over all their cause is vain. Man will NEVER reverse the curse.
• Man will never conquer disease and death… or war and hostility… bigotry and hatred… pollution and energy problems…
• We need to do our best… subdue the earth as best we can, but we should not have some liberal dreamy ideas of creating a utopia on earth… eradicating sickness and death… or bringing in the kingdom by human efforts!
• God Himself has subjected the world to vanity… God has cursed the earth—and while we must struggle in this world… and do our best to eke out an existence… plant our crops among the weeds… keep as healthy as we can… but we should realize that our best efforts will NEVER reverse the curse… the world is SUBJECT to vanity.
• Yet this subjection to vanity under the curse was not done willingly. Creation had no choice in the matter. Man sinned and God decreed that the whole world would be cursed.
• Yet, the creation has been subjected in hope = hope of reconciliation and restoration one day…
e. Vs. 21 – Because the creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption.
• One day, creation has the hope of deliverance from the bondage of corruption.
• Of course, these are not conscious thoughts of trees and birds and mountains… figurative language.
• Some day black flies and mosquitoes won’t bite you.
• Some day vultures will no longer eat carcasses of dead buffaloes.
• Some day the lion and the lamb will lie down together…
• Disease, suffering, and death entered the world because of man’s sin—and the animal world has been affected by that disease and death… they are all under the bondage of corruption… just like us.
• And also like us—one day this bondage of corruption the world is experiencing will come to an end!
• For man, sin and the curse were his choice. Adam chose to sin. But the creation did not chose to sin.
• Because God had placed Adam and Eve as co-regents over the creation, their fall affected their realm!
f. Vs. 22 – But that day of deliverance is in the future. For now, the creation continues to groan and travail in pain.
g. Vs. 23 – And so do we as believers! We also live in a cursed earth… and suffer under the bondage of corruption.
• We all have the seed of death in us…
• Our bodies are experiencing corruption as I speak…
• Even believers groan in the body…
• But we are consciously awaiting REDEMPTION of our bodies.
• At the cross Chris provided for redemption.
• Through faith, our souls and spirits are completely redeemed… once and for all and forever! Our new man is part of the new creation.
• But our bodies are not redeemed yet. They are still part of the old creation and under the bondage of corruption.
• When Christ returns, our bodies will be redeemed—we will be MANIFESTED as the sons of God…
• Soon after, Christ establishes His earthly, millennial kingdom… and the curse of the earth is gradually lifted…
h. II Pet. 3:10-13 – After the millennial kingdom, Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth.
• The very elements of the old earth and heavens will be melted with a fervent heat.
• This will remove every last trace of sin… think of the books, videos, cave etchings, sunken ships, idols buried in king’s tombs… weapons of mass destruction buried in the sand… bones of bodies of men brutally murdered… all of which testify to a fallen race… a cursed earth.
• The entire earth is a graveyard of creatures which have been dying for centuries… because sin entered the world.
• God will melt this down to the very elements to remove the last trace of sin from creation.
• God cleansed the earth with water in the days of Noah. He will cleanse it with fire in the future.
• In the new heaven and earth will dwell RIGHTEOUSNESS! That cannot be said today.
D. Unto Himself
1. Reconciliation is defined by Strong’s as: To reconcile completely; to reconcile back again, bring back a former state of harmony.
2. When God created the world, all things were very good. All things were in perfect harmony with their Creator.
a. But then sin entered the world… and the heavens and the earth were affected by it. God cursed the earth because of man’s sin… and the earth has been groaning and travailing in pain ever since.
b. The world which was created in harmony with God fell into disharmony. Everything is out of sync.
c. Reconciliation is God’s work of making it possible to RESTORE the created world to its original harmonious relationship to the Creator.
3. UNTO Himself = God is not reconciled to the world. Rather, the world is reconciled to Him.
a. Yet regardless of how far away the world has drifted away from its original foundations, God has a plan to RECONCILE all things.
b. Paul begins dealing with this subject by talking about the created world and the heavens… the physical world… the earth, sun, moon, and stars…
c. All these things have been affected by sin… and God would be perfectly JUST in letting the world continue to groan and travail in pain forever… but God is a God of grace and mercy… and He has a plan to bring about reconciliation between the fallen, cursed creation and the Creator.
d. God does not lower His standard. He is not reconciled to the world. But He has a plan to provide for the world to be reconciled unto Him… unto His perfect original blueprint.
e. Isa. 35:1-2, 5-6 – One day… when Christ returns, the desert shall blossom and be fruitful; sickness and deformity will be eradicated.
f. Isa. 6:6-9 – One day the animal kingdom will be reconciled back to God’s original design…
g. Isa. 2:4 – One day all the effort and expense that had formerly been spend on war and defense will be spent on crops… and providing for the good of mankind.
h. One day the world WILL be reconciled back into harmony with its Creator… but that day is not today. And it will NEVER be brought about by man’s puny efforts (UN; Peace Corps; green peace.)
i. Acts 3:19-21 – Peter reminded the Jews of the times of refreshing that will come to the world at Christ’s coming… and the times of restitution of all things.
• But this is not brought about by green peace or the UN, or even the US military.
• It is brought about only by the presence of the Lord.
j. Paul tells us that GOD will reconcile all things UNTO HIMSELF and He will do so “by Him”… through Jesus Christ—at His Second Coming in power and great glory… and not before.
And, having made peace through the blood of His cross
1. We are going to pass over this expression rather quickly today—not because it is not important (it is perhaps the most important phrase in the sentence!)…
a. We will look at it in much more detail next week when we look at the reconciliation provided to mankind (vs. 21-22)
2. The context indicates that God provided reconciliation THROUGH Jesus Christ… Christ was the Divine agent used in making reconciliation for men and for the material world.
a. Here Paul states HOW Christ provided for this reconciliation: through the blood of His cross!
3. This does not mean that animals sinned and needed forgiveness… or that the material world (sun, moon, stars, rocks, rivers, trees, etc.) needed to be saved from their sin.
a. Rather, it means this: the earth and its universe are LINKED to mankind.
b. When Adam sinned, the earth was cursed… and it has been groaning and travailing in pain ever since.
c. In a sense, when man fell… his world fell along with him.
d. But when man is raised up and restored to his former glory… the world will also be raised up to its original purpose…
e. Thus, it is the CROSS that lifts man up… provides redemption for his soul and spirit… and provides reconciliation to God.
f. So… the same cross that lifts up believing mankind will also lift up the earth and the heavens.
g. Jesus referred to the millennial kingdom as the regeneration of the earth. A glorious restoration awaits this world… and it is linked to restoration of man… and thus linked to the cross.
h. The cross is the CENTER of it all… the center of God’s program and purpose for mankind and his world… the focal point of all of history.
i. Rev. 5:1-5 – John wept because no one was able to open the book (title deed of the universe)…
• then his attention was directed to Christ… the Lamb slain… the God-Man… who was able to open the book
• and take back the right to rule over the earth… which had been usurped by the devil since Adam lost dominion over the earth in the Garden.
• Christ was qualified to bring about restoration to God’s original order (Man having dominion over the earth) because He is the Redeemer…
• The CROSS provided redemption and reconciliation for believing mankind… and it provided for man (Jesus Christ) to once again defeat the enemy and gain dominion over the earth for mankind… and it also provided for the restoration of the world to God’s original purpose… and release the world from the bondage of corruption… from being subject to vanity for so many centuries.
4. In a sense, Christ brought about PEACE between the creation and the Creator… the cross made it possible to reverse the curse placed upon the earth…
By him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven
1. Here Paul states that God reconciles all things through the agency of Christ… and he amplifies what he means by “all things.”
2. He wants to make sure that we understand that the reconciliation of the world also includes a reconciliation of the heavens themselves!
3. God cursed the earth because of man’s sin… but remember that sin BEGAN in the heavens when iniquity was found in Lucifer.
4. We are familiar with the pollution on earth (air; water; land; etc.).
5. But there has also been pollution in the heavens for many millennia because of the presence of Satan and his host of demons.
a. That is his realm. He is the Prince of the power of the air. The angels are associated with the stars of heaven.
b. Satan and his demons have had full access to the heavens… and even the heaven of heavens… trampling under foot the heavenly tabernacle.
c. Job 1:6 – Satan and other angels came before the Lord’s presence.
d. Rev. 12:7 – There have been angelic wars in heaven… and there are yet more wars in heaven to come.
e. Rev. 12:10 – Satan accuses believers before God—in heaven—day and night.
f. In some sense, the presence of evil and evil angels in heaven has polluted the heavens… spiritual wickedness in high places.
6. Through the blood of His cross, Christ provided for the reconciliation of the very heavens!
a. On the cross, Christ defeated Satan and his evil hosts.
b. They are presently defeated foes.
c. They still roam about seeking to devour, but they are defeated and that because of the cross.
d. Gen. 3:15 – Christ – the seed of the woman shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel.
e. Satan has already been defeated and one day will be cast of the heavens for good and ultimately cast into the Lake of Fire.
f. Heb. 9:21-23 – In the Old Testament the tabernacle pictured God’s dwelling place and man’s approach to a holy God.
• Everything in the tabernacle had to be sprinkled with the blood of bulls and goats.
• This was NOT because the tabernacle sinned… but rather because it was polluted because sinful men walked through it.
• The purifying of the tabernacle was symbolic… symbolic cleansing in a symbolic tabernacle.
• The heavenly tabernacle (which was illustrated by the earthly) ALSO needs to PURIFIED… and cleansed with blood… better blood…
• The heavenlies had to be purged… purified… cleansed… by nothing less than the precious blood of Christ…
• In some way, the blood of Christ not only dealt with the guilt and condemnation of sin, but also with its defiling effects.
• Hebrews 1:10-11 – the heaven and earth are perishing and are waxing old as a garment. (process of deterioration).
• II Pet.3:7 – the heavens and the earth are reserved unto fire!
g. Paul says in Col. 1:20: “Through the blood of His cross” God brought about reconciliation for all things… on earth and in the heavens!
h. Rev. 21:1-5 – John sees a new heaven and a new earth… for the first were passed away…
• Vs. 5 – Behold, I make ALL THINGS new.
• One day God will restore all things… He will make all things new… no longer subject to vanity… but fulfilling their God given purpose.
• Those who know Christ as their personal Savior will enter into that New Jerusalem… that heavenly city… and will experience eternal life the way God intended!
• Vs. 8 – Those who reject Christ… but choose instead to continue in their sin and rebellion against Him will NOT be permitted to enter… but will be cast into the Lake of Fire… forever.
• Rev. 22:17 – the final invitation God makes: COME!
• This is the same invitation Jesus made: Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul!
• Will YOU come to God in simple, childlike faith? Your eternal destiny will be determined by your response to God’s simple and gracious invitation: COME!
The Reconciliation of Sinners
Introduction:
Last week we looked at the reconciliation of all things in heaven and earth… namely, the fact that the blood of Christ provided for the ultimate restitution of all things… of the entire created world… heaven and earth.
This morning we want to look at another angle of God’s great plan of reconciliation: the reconciliation of sinful men… like me… and like you!
Those Reconciled
A. Alienated From God
1. Alienated Defined: to alienate, estrange, to be shut out from one’s fellowship and intimacy; excluded; a foreigner.
a. When man sinned in the Garden, every one of Adam’s sons (including all of us!) were born in Adam’s likeness: sinners and thus every one of us is BORN alienated from God!
b. Isa. 59:1-2 – your sins have separated you from God; hence, because of sin, we are alienated from God the Creator… so alienated that He won’t even hear our prayers!
2. Usage of the term:
a. This term appears in Col. 1:21 and only two other times in the New Testament.
b. Eph. 2:12 – Gentiles were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
• They were non participants… excluded from Israel, her promises, her laws, her covenants, her promises, and from her God.
• The laws and covenants of Israel had nothing to do with the Gentiles. Gentiles were not under Jewish law, nor could they expect to inherit Israel’s promises.
• They were aliens… cut off from… excluded from…
• Just like an alien in the US. If he is an alien, the benefits of US citizenship do not apply to him.
c. Eph. 4:18 – alienated from the life of God.
• Theological Dictionary Of the New Testament: “without a share in the life of God.”
• Before salvation, every one of us was an alien from God’s life.
• In other words, we were DEAD in sins and trespasses (Eph. 2:1).
• If you are not born again, you are STILL dead in your sins.
• You are STILL an alien from God and from His life. You MUST be born again!
• This is the condition of EVERY human being apart from the new birth.
3. Tense: perfect; passive; participle
a. Perfect: indicates that they were alienated in the past, and they REMAINED alienated right up until the time of their conversion… reconciliation… salvation.
b. The Colossians had become alienated from God and STOOD in that settled position before their salvation.
c. If you are not born again, you too have been alienated from God and His life… that is your settled position and you REMAIN that way until you are saved.
d. Passive: indicates that the subject is not DOING the work of the main verb, but rather, that action has been done to him from an outside source.
e. This means that a person doesn’t have to DO anything to be alienated from God and His life. We are BORN aliens… BORN excluded from God and His life… and hence the NEED for the new birth.
4. Sometime: = formerly, aforetime, at some time in the past…
a. This term means that every one of the Colossian believers were formerly alienated.
b. That “one time” refers to the time before they were saved.
c. Before 1972 I was alienated from God… and didn’t even know it! I really hadn’t given it one thought.
d. Before their conversion, the Colossian believers were alienated from God.
e. That was their FORMER position. But now, because of their faith in Christ, their position has changed.
f. They are no longer aliens from the life of God, but are very much ALIVE in Christ and possessors of eternal life!
g. I John 5:12: “he that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son hath not life.” How simple!
h. If you have received Christ by faith, then you have life. If you have NOT been born again… then you do NOT have the Son and you do NOT have life. You are still dead… alienated from God and His life.
B. Enemies of God
1. Enemies: hated, odious, hateful. 2 hostile, hating, and opposing another. 2a used of men as at enmity with God by their sin.
a. God views EVERY unsaved person in this condition: enemies of God!
b. This refers to the Hitlers of the world… as well as the sweet little old lady who goes to church 3 times a week… but is not born again…
c. If she has never trusted in Christ as her personal Savior she is an enemy of God.
2. Usage:
a. Acts 13:10 – this unsaved man was called a “child of the devil” and an enemy of God. This is true of every unsaved person.
b. Rom. 5:10 – before a person is reconciled to God, he is an enemy of God!
c. You don’t have to be a murderer, a bank robber, or a wino in the gutter or a prostitute on the street corner to be an enemy of God.
d. ALL men are enemies of God until or unless they are reconciled to Him.
e. Jas. 4:4 – “friendship with the world is enmity with God” –there are only two sides: God’s side or the world’s side. Whose side are you on? Friendship with one is enmity with the other. There is no straddling the fence on this issue.
3. The enmity of the mind.
a. Enmity against God begins in the mind.
b. Our thoughts PROVE God to be right… that we really are sinners and rebels against Him… enemies… and their thought lives prove it.
c. Rom. 8:7 – the carnal mind of the unbeliever is enmity with God. It is in the settled state of constant hostility against God… even though it may attempt to cover up with religion… as Adam tried to cover up with a fig leaf.
d. The carnal mind of an unbeliever may not be consciously thinking thoughts against God… but it is constantly thinking thoughts that are contrary to God’s Word… unholy thoughts… thoughts of anger, lust, impurity, jealousy, envy, pride, selfishness…
e. The carnal mind is not and CAN not be subject to God’s holy law… to God’s holy Word.
f. Unsaved men inwardly RESENT God’s Word… and usually try to discredit it… because in their minds they are hostile towards God… enemies in their mind and attitudes.
g. They CANNOT submit to it… they CANNOT obey it or live up to it, and therefore resent it… hate it… are enmity against it… because it condemns them.
4. This mental attitude of enmity against God… this resentment against God and His word will ultimately be expressed in WORKS.
a. The Colossians were enemies in their minds.
b. They expressed this inward enmity in outward works… evil works… sinful works.
c. Paul makes it clear that the Colossians (and all of us!) are sinners on the inside and the outside… in the internal mind and heart and also in the external deeds.
d. In fact, it is the alienation and enmity in the mind that LEADS to wicked works.
e. The sinful deeds that men commit are but an outward evidence that they are enemies of God within.
C. And You
1. Paul begins this verse by reminding the Colossians that this is the way THEY used to be before they were saved!
a. They were saints now… (Col. 1:2)
b. They were redeemed now… (Col. 1:14)
c. They were reconciled now… (Col. 1:21c)
d. But they WERE alienated from God and enemies of God!
e. The new birth completely changed their relationship to God. They were enemies of God, but now are His friends.
f. And a sinner will NEVER become a friend of God until he is first willing to ADMIT that he is a sinner… alienated from God… and an enemy of God.
g. There is no point in trying to cover up our sin. God knows.
h. And it doesn’t matter if we FEEL like we are friends of God. Our feelings about a relationship to God are completely irrelevant. What matters is what GOD says… not what sinful men might say or feel.
i. God says we are enemies—every last one of us!
j. And all sinners are equally enemies of God—whether you lived a life of sin in the gutter… or whether you were brought up in church and never cursed, drank, or stole.
k. ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. ALL are enemies of God.
l. Rom. 3:10-12 – There is none righteous; no not one.
The Concept of Reconciliation
A. Terms Used
1. Reconcile – There are several different words for reconcile in the New Testament.
a. Diallasso = mutual concession after mutual hostility.
• Used of making up after a fight—when both parties share in the blame. (Matt. 5:24)
• This term is never used of being reconciled to God.
b. katallasso = to change or exchange from one state to another.
• Used of money – changing denomination
• Used of persons – being changed from enmity to friends
• Used of being adjusted to a standard – reconciling one’s watch to the proper time if the watch drifted off a bit.
c. apokatallasso = to reconcile completely.
• This is the term Paul used in Col. 1:20 AND in 1:21.
• In vs. 20, it implied to reconcile completely; to reconcile back again, bring back a former state of harmony (creation will be brought back to its former state)
• In vs. 21 it implies the intense form of katalasso… a complete reconciliation.
2. The term implies that a CHANGE occurred.
a. The change is from enmity to friendship.
b. The sinner, the rebel against a holy God, the alien from God, the enemy of God puts his faith in Christ and suddenly his position is changed to that of a friend!
c. The WAR between the sinner and God is over the very moment that sinner puts his faith in Christ.
d. If you have not received Christ as your Savior, the war is still on between you and God…
B. Unto Himself (vs.20)
1. Notice that Paul says that the one to be reconciled is to be reconciled UNTO God.
a. God is not reconciled unto man.
b. God hasn’t moved. He hasn’t drifted away. He doesn’t need to be changed, adjusted, or reconciled.
c. In human relationships, there is usually a need for MUTUAL reconciliation after a fight… because there is usually blame on both sides. There is a special Greek term for that kind of reconciliation. It is NEVER used of God.
d. God doesn’t need to be reconciled because there is no fault on God’s side. All the fault lies on OUR side.
e. Hence, we need to be reconciled UNTO HIM.
f. Rom. 5:10 – We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son.”
g. Man has moved away from God. “We have turned every one to his own way.” (Isa. 53:6) And thus, we need to turn back to God… we need to be reconciled to God…
2. The term reconcile implies an adjustment to a standard.
a. We use the term of reconciling a watch to the proper time.
b. Our watches are not perfect, and tend to drift away from the proper time. It may lose a few seconds a day… and after a time, it becomes obvious that our watch is off.
c. Hence, it must be reconciled UNTO the Standard.
d. God is that standard for the sinner. The sinner has drifted away from God and God’s standards and needs to be adjusted… reconciled BACK to God and His standard.
e. Today the world seems to think that every man ought to be able to do whatever he feels is right.
• Men disdain the concept of an absolute standard of righteousness… and hence hate God who IS that Standard. Men feel they ought to be able to adjust moral standards to fit their OWN views. This is nigh unto anarchy.
• Hence, we see couples living together without getting married—it’s commonplace today… and the reason is that men have rejected God the absolute Standard of right and wrong.
• We see gay marriages taking place… because God—the Standard of morality has been rejected.
• If there is no absolute standard to which WE are to adjust, then why not go a step further to bestiality and polygamy…
• The gay marriage issue is not the real problem. It is but a symptom of the problem. The problem is that the Standard has been thoroughly and completely rejected by our society.
• When a society has no standards… no moral foundation… no accepted guidelines, God help us! Our nation is at that point.
• The sinner has drifted away from God and needs to be reconciled BACK to God.
f. We see this illustrated in the Prodigal Son.
• The son drifted away from his father and his father’s standards.
• He went off at a young age and made a mess of his life… living a life of sin… and ended up feeding pigs and having nothing to eat himself but pig slop.
• The father didn’t need to be reconciled to the son, but the son to him. The father didn’t go any where.
• The father was ready and waiting—eager for his son to be reconciled to him… but it was the wayward SON who had to return to the father.
• And when he did, he discovered that the father was only too eager to receive him back… to welcome him back.
• The father didn’t need to be changed… but the son did.
• The father didn’t go to the son. He waited for the son to come to him.
• The father didn’t lower his standards and adjust them to suit his wayward son. The father maintained his standards and waited until the son was willing to be adjusted to them.
• When the son repented, the way was open for him to be reconciled to his father.
C. Having Made Peace
1. The former relationship between a holy God and sinful men was enmity; hostility; war.
2. Man’s sin was an insurmountable barrier between God and men.
3. But Christ removed that barrier by paying its penalty in full on the cross. Thus, on the cross, He made PEACE possible… and available to whosoever will believe on Christ.
4. Peace has been created between God and man because that which rendered God hostile toward man (sin!) has been taken away! (Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world!)
5. The cross made reconciliation possible, but the sinner still needs to come to God in faith… like the prodigal son. The father was ready to receive him back… but the father wasn’t going to the pig pen where the son was. The father waited for the son to come to him… We need to come to God through FAITH in Christ and we will discover He is more than willing to take us in.
6. But when a sinner repents and believes on Christ, the enmity is replaced with friendship… he becomes a friend of God.
7. And the war is over… he is now at peace with God!
8. Rom. 5:1 – those who have believed on the Lord are JUSTIFIED… saved… and reconciled… and thus have PEACE with God.
9. This peace has NOTHING to do with our feelings. It has to do with the FACTS of God’s Word.
a. Many religious men SAY that they feel peace with God.
b. Many religious men are SURE that they are right before God. (Matt. 7:21-24)
c. But the peace Paul describes in Rom. 5:1 is not a subjective feeling of peace, but an objective declaration of peace on God’s part.
d. The war between sinful men and a holy God isn’t over until God says so… regardless of what those sinful men may FEEL or THINK.
e. God says that peace is appropriated ONLY through faith in Christ Jesus.
f. If you have not yet put your faith in Christ, the war is still on between you and God… you are still an enemy of God… even if you were brought up in this church and have been to Sunday school all your life… and you have never cursed. Enmity!
The Means of Reconciliation
A. Man’s Way
1. A Peace Offering
a. Sometimes if a husband and wife have an argument, the husband may try to “make up” by bringing his wife a present to let her know he is sorrow for what he said or did. That is basically a peace offering.
b. It is engrained in our psyche that to make up… to make peace when there has been a fight or hostility, that we must DO something…
c. Perhaps a promise to be good… perhaps try to make up for poor behavior with a gift or an offering…
d. God’s wrath towards sin MUST be pacified… must be satisfied… must be propitiated.
e. However, there is NOTHING a man could ever bring to God that would result in peace… satisfying His wrath against sin.
f. No peace offering man could ever bring could result in peace between a holy God and sinful men.
2. Good Works
a. Men assume that if there is hostility between God and man, then man has to DO something to make up.
b. Men assume that if they do a certain amount of good works that it will out weigh the bad works they did…
c. Men assume that war started because of something we did (swearing; cheating; stealing; getting drunk; etc.)… and that if they can overcome that sin, then the will make peace with God.
d. Eph. 2:8-9 – good works will NEVER produce life… nor produce peace with God! It is a hopeless and futile endeavor.
e. There isn’t anything you or I could ever do that would suffice to bring peace between the sinner and a holy God.
f. Even to THINK that exhibits a gross underestimation of just how SINFUL we are… and how HOLY God is.
g. That gap could NEVER be filled by our puny efforts.
h. This chasm… this war… the hostility between God and man is infinite… and requires a sacrifice of infinite value.
i. There is no amount of good works and no peace offering we could ever offer to God that would truly bring peace.
j. It might make a sinful man FEEL good… and it might sooth his conscience superficially and temporarily… but it is of no value to God.
k. It will never bring peace with God. It will never reconcile the sinner to a holy God.
3. When the term “reconcile” is used in this passage, the subject is GOD (or the Godhead)… NOT man.
a. Man does not provide for the reconciliation.
b. Man does not initiate the reconciliation.
c. Man does not even see the need for reconciliation until the Spirit of God convicts him of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come.
d. Man doesn’t reconcile God to himself… rather, God reconciles man to Himself.
B. God’s Way
1. In the Body of His Flesh through Death (vs. 21)
a. This would be especially meaningful to the Colossians in light of the false teachers who were infiltrating their assembly.
b. The Gnostics taught that Jesus was not fully God — Paul deals with that by stating that in Him all fullness dwells!
c. They believed that Jesus was not fully man… and that He did not have a true human body… that He was simply an emanation from God without a body… (They viewed a physical body to be sinful.)
d. Paul states that Christ indeed DID have a genuine, physical, human body… and that it was THROUGH the death of that body on the cross that God was able to provide reconciliation for believing sinners.
e. Either side of this heresy would have rendered the cross ineffective.
• If Jesus wasn’t fully God then His sacrifice would not have satisfied God’s justice.
• If Jesus wasn’t fully human, (if He was only a spirit as the Gnostics said), then He could not have had a body, could not have shed His blood, and could not have died for the sins of the world.
f. This passage contradicts many false teachers of our day too.
• Today we see liberal theologians claiming that men can be reconciled to God by following Christ’s example and obeying His teachings.
• They teach salvation by works… and they base it on Christ’s earthly ministry; the example He set for us.
• However, Paul makes it clear that it was not what Christ DID during His earthly LIFE that saves us from condemnation, but His DEATH on the cross!
• It was not His doing but His dying that saves us!
2. Through the Blood of His Cross (vs. 20)
a. Only God can declare when the war is over between Him and the sinner.
b. Only God can declare the MEANS of effecting that reconciliation too.
c. God has declared that the only acceptable means is the precious blood of Christ shed on the cross for the sins of the world.
d. There is no peace offering that WE could ever offer to God that would suffice to pay for our sins and bring peace between sinful men and a holy God… BUT reconciliation IS provided in the body of Christ’s death on the cross…
e. Christ has made peace through the blood of His cross. Christ’s blood is the peace offering… is the only sacrifice that is able to provide reconciliation.
f. And note in vs. 20 that Paul writes, “HAVING MADE peace.”
g. Peace is not something that man makes with God. It is that which God has already made for man… through the blood of Calvary’s cross.
h. Col. 1:21 – you who WERE alienated and enemies yet NOW HATH He RECONCILED.
• The Colossians were no longer what they WERE: enemies and alienated.
• Now they are friends… and close to God—made nigh by the blood of His cross!
• God has already reconciled them… AND US if we have trusted in Christ.
• Peace with God has already been made through the cross. God now wants us as believers to REST in that peace… and EXPERIENCE that peace of God IN our hearts… by faith.
i. I John 2:2 – However, what Christ offered to God DID provide for reconciliation… it did satisfy God’s wrath toward our sin and enabled us to be brought into a right relationship with God. For peace to be effected, God’s justice must be met and satisfied—and ONLY the infinite value of the shed blood of Christ could accomplish that… not our meager offerings.
j. Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling!
k. The work was finished at the cross.
3. Now God calls sinners… enemies… those alienated from Him to repent… (change your mind)… and BELIEVE on Christ and be saved!
a. If you will trust in Christ, God will save you.
b. Rom. 5:1 – Those who have been justified by FAITH have peace with God… eternal peace… the war is over…
c. Hence, the invitation is COME… unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!
d. Like the prodigal son… he came to the father… full of sin… acknowledging his sin… he came in humility… ashamed of what he had done… and the father received him as his SON!
e. Perhaps its time for you to come to the Father in faith… He will receive you… repent of your sin… believe on Christ… and He turns none away. COME!
In His Sight
The Terms of Our Position in Christ
A. Holy
1. Defined: set apart; saints.
a. This is the same term as Paul used to describe the Colossian believers in the opening of the letter (Col. 1:2).
b. Believers are set apart FROM sin and defilement and set apart UNTO the Lord.
2. The Church is holy… set apart unto God… each and every member of the Body.
a. Eph. 2:21-22 – the Body of Christ is a building that is growing into a holy Temple for the Lord… His habitation.
b. I Cor. 3:17 – the church is a HOLY temple…and WE as believers are that Temple.
c. I Cor. 1:2 – the Corinthians were saints… and sanctified. The moment they were saved, they were set apart into a new position: saints of God!
d. I Cor. 6:11 – they were justified and all condemnation was removed forever. They were washed, cleansed, purified, and sanctified once and for all. They are sanctified saints… positionally… although they were not behaving like saints!
e. If you are born again, you are part of the church. You too are holy… part of the holy Temple of God… separated from sin and the world UNTO Christ.
f. EVERY true believer is sanctified and thus holy positionally.
• We are not always holy in our daily lives… in our practical experiences…
• In our earthly condition we are often unholy!
• But that is not how God sees us. He sees us as holy… cleansed… washed… separated from the world and unto Christ.
• God sees us IN CHRIST… not in our sin. (Isn’t that great!?)
B. Unblameable
1. Defined: Strong’s: without blemish. as a sacrifice without spot or blemish morally: without blemish, faultless, unblameable; that which cannot be censured.
a. Heb 9:14; 1Peter 1:19 – used of Christ = without spot; without blemish.
2. Of course, this speaks of our position in Christ.
a. In Christ we are without spot and without blemish…
b. In ourselves we are quite spotty… blemished all over…
c. We look okay from a distance or in the dark… when the closer the light of God’s Word gets to our hearts… the more blemishes and spots appear.
d. Of course on our own, there is nothing we can do about these spots and blemishes… our sins.
e. Jer. 13:23 – as a leopard cannot change his spots (it is his nature to have spots), so the sinner cannot change his nature either. We are spotted morally… and unable to cleanse away one spot… one sin.
f. But, the precious blood of Christ can wash away all stains and cleanse us from all unrighteousness… from all spots.
g. Religion tries to cover up its spots… or pretend they aren’t there… or makes a vain attempt to eradicate them. But it will NEVER work.
h. Nothing but the blood of Christ can wash away our sins.
3. The believer in Christ stands in a position as “without blemish” in God’s sight.
a. This is not our doing… but it is our privilege… our position.
b. It is because God does not see us in ourselves with all our spots and blemishes.
c. He sees us in Christ… the Holy One… the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
d. Eph. 5:27 – God sees the church very differently than we do. He sees it as not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing… but holy and without blemish!
e. That’s how we OUGHT to view one another… but we don’t.
• That is worldliness: viewing God’s work as the world does…
• It is viewing the believer IN CHRIST as if he were no different than anyone else… when God says he IS different!
• The world sees the believer’s spots… and assumes he is just like him.
• The worldly believer sees nothing but spots on his brethren too. (He sees spots in their language; in their clothing; in their manners; in their behavior; in the choices they make…)
• Some believers have eyes for spots and seem to see nothing else.
• God doesn’t look at His people like that. He sees us IN Christ… without spot and without blemish.
• As a Christian we should view one another as God sees us: without spot and blemish.
• That is taking the HEAVENLY perspective. That will transform our relationship to one another… in the home… in school… in the local church… wherever you see believers!
• That is not a worldly or earthly perspective, but a godly and a heavenly perspective.
f. Our position is that we are unblameable… (without spot or blemish) in God’s sight.
• Sight: “to look down in,” Wuest defines as “a searching, penetrating gaze”.
• We all stand under God’s searching and penetrating gaze… and His estimate of believers is that we are holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.
• God isn’t blind; He’s gracious.
• God isn’t lenient; He spared not His own Son.
• God isn’t ignorant; He knows all about our spots, but chooses to remember our sins no more—because Christ has satisfied His wrath against sin forever.
• God sees us as in Christ… that’s what we are in His sight… robed in His righteousness… washed in His blood… and without spot.
• Unblameable – without spot is our position… and our position is unalterable. It is forever. Praise God!
• And even our failures do not change our position in Christ.
• We will continue to commit sins in this life and will need to confess our sins… but before God’s eternal throne—we stand unblameable!
C. Unreproveable
1. Defined: that cannot be called into to account, unreproveable, unaccused
2. Rev.12:10 – Satan is the great accuser of the brethren.
a. He accuses us day and night before God’s throne.
b. And even though he is the father of all lies, he doesn’t have to lie about us before God’s throne. He knows that no lie would ever stand there!
c. He simply tells the TRUTH about us… about our sin… our attitudes… our pride… our greed… lust… anger… worldliness… impurity…
d. He has plenty of material to work with in each of us. He doesn’t HAVE to make things up.
3. However, there is no charge that can ever STICK to us as believers.
a. Rom. 8:33 – who can lay anything to our charge? God has justified us. No one can trump His judgment!
b. Rom. 8:31 – if God be for us, who can be against us?
c. Rom. 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. Nobody can level a charge against a believer that could result in condemnation…
D. In the Body of his Flesh Through Death
1. It is the shed blood of Christ on Calvary that results in these glorious changes for the believer.
2. I John 2:1-2 – we have an Advocate (a defense attorney)…
a. He is also the propitiation for all of our sins. His sacrifice eternally satisfied the Father.
b. Whatever accusation comes against us… Christ says, “I paid for that sin. It is forgiven. He is sanctified forever.”
c. Christ work on the cross as our Propitiation means that we are unreproveable!
3. Heb. 10:10 – sanctified (made holy positionally) through the offering of the body of Christ.
a. We are completely and eternally separated unto God!
b. Vs. 14 – them that are sanctified never need to be sanctified in this sense again.
c. Every believer of this age has been set apart unto God once and for all the moment of saving faith. (Separated from being in Adam to being In Christ; from the world and into the Body.)
d. Our POSITION is that we are set apart… we are holy… sanctified!
e. Positionally, the work of sanctification is finished… we are forever separated unto Christ.
f. We have been sanctified and now stand as saints… our position is perfect, finished, and unchangeable.
g. The blood has the power to sanctify and cleanse us not just from this sin or that… but it has the power to cleanse us from ALL sin past, present, and future… once and for all and forever!
h. Christ’s finished work on the cross means that we are sanctified once and for all and forever… saints… holy in God’s sight.
4. Col. 1:22 – in the body of His flesh through death, Christ reconciled us to God that we might be presented as HOLY before God… because we ARE holy!
a. The blood of Christ is SO POWERFUL that it is able to transform sinners into saints!
b. The cross changes the believing sinner forever… he is reconciled to God… changed from being an enemy to a friend of God… not because of some great work he did, but because of the cross… which satisfied the Father’s justice.
c. The blood of the cross is so powerful that it can change a condemned man into a justified man…
d. The power of the cross is seen in this section in that it was able to reconcile ALL THINGS in the created universe back into a harmonious relationship with the Creator. But the REAL power of the cross is seen in reconciling guilty, blameworthy sinners… and making them holy… and without blame!
e. The death of Christ was SO EFFECTIVE in dealing with our sin that even God Himself can find no flaw in us!
f. He Himself looked at us in Christ and made this conclusion about us: holy, unblameable and unreproveable in His sight!
g. These are not the words or wishful thinking of some dreamy eyed religious commentator. This is God’s estimation of us! There is no arguing with that.
h. Now try to make this PERSONAL… for in fact, it IS personal if you are genuinely saved.
• This is not just how God sees the church… it is how He sees YOU… and me… If this sinks in, it is quite liberating.
• In fact, it is the basis… the beginning of a genuine walk with God.
• There can never be a close relationship to Christ until we see ourselves as having been cleansed and blameless in God’s sight… a guilty conscience will PREVENT us from entering into the holy place of communion with God.
• But a CLEANSED conscience… one that knows and believes that the blood has the power to cleanse us from ALL sin… that conscience is free to enter into the holy of holies with God.
• And the conscience will never experience the rest and purging power of the blood until we genuinely BELIEVE these truths concerning ourselves. Yes YOU are holy, blameless, and unreproveable in God’s sight… if you’re saved.
Past Election (Eph. 1:4)
1. God’s Choice.
a. Chose: elect; select; to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one’s self.
b. Paul had been speaking about our spiritual blessings in Christ. Now he tells us that they are all based upon God’s choice. He chose to bless us. Period.
c. God chose us IN Christ.
d. He did not choose us because of anything He saw in us… there was no good thing in us.
e. But He chose us in Christ… in His Beloved.
f. We are chosen in Christ and accepted in Him. (Eph. 1:6)
g. We are never told WHY He chose us… except that it was His good pleasure to do so… (vs. 5c)
h. Eph. 1:7 – It is all according to the riches of His grace… God’s goodness to undeserving sinners.
2. The Terms
a. Without blame = same word as unblameable in Col. 1:22
b. Holy = same word as holy in Col. 1:22
3. The Purpose of Election: that we should be holy and without blame before Him.
a. Apart from God’s elective choice, NO ONE would ever be holy or without blame before Him. We are all sinners… without exception.
b. But God DETERMINED in eternity past that SOME WOULD in fact stand before Him holy and without blame.
c. He chose some to that privileged position… He chose on the basis of pure grace…
d. I Cor. 1:8 – And God is also determined to see to it that His purpose is carried out.
e. One day we WILL stand before God holy and without blame!
f. This is due to the fact that God CHOSE us to this position in Christ before the foundation of the world.
g. To God be the glory… great things He hath done. Salvation is of the Lord—from start to finish.
h. Salvation begins with God. He chose us. Jesus said, “Ye have not chosen Me but I have chosen you.” (John 15:16)
i. Before the foundation of the earth, God chose you to salvation… He chose you to be saved… and to be holy and without blame before Him.
j. This is not a truth that we will ever fully grasp or fully understand all of its nuances and subtleties; but it IS a truth that we are to believe…
k. It is not a truth that we are to stumble over… or lose our focus over. But it is a truth that we are to enjoy… and for which we should be eternally grateful!
l. II Tim. 1:9 – God had a purpose in grace which was given us IN CHRIST before the world began.
• God’s purpose was to manifest HIS marvelous grace in undeserving sinners like us…
• God’s purpose was to save some… reconcile some back to Himself… and thereby manifest His marvelous grace for all eternity!
• To do that, God determined to make some holy and without blame before Him.
• I don’t understand it all… but I am grateful… I am thankful that God chose this sinner and decided to demonstrate His grace in me!
• Eph. 2:7 – that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of HIS grace in HIS kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
• This was God’s plan in eternity past. He is carrying out that plan today.
Future Presentation
1. Present: We will be PRESENTED as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.
a. Present Defined: to place beside or near; to place a person or thing at one’s disposal.
b. Usage:
• Acts 27:24 – Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar:
• Rom. 6:13 – yield your members to God…
• Rom. 12:1 – present your body a living sacrifice to God…
• II Cor. 11:2 – that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ…
2. Col. 1:22: This seems to refer not to the judicial position of the Colossian believers, but rather, to a future eschatological time when they stand before Christ after the Bema… holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.
3. Jude 24 – faultless = same word as unblameable in Col. 1:22 – without blemish…
a. Christ will present believers to the Father one day… faultless and unblameable!
b. Note also that Jude is speaking about the awful days of apostasy… like the ones in which we live!
c. He states that regardless of how bad things get around us—morally and spiritually—we need not fear. God is able to keep us from falling… into that apostasy!
d. We needn’t be paralyzed by fear of the deplorable spiritual conditions around us. We can keep on walking by faith… trusting that God will keep us from falling into it… and that He will present us before the throne of God as FAULTLESS!
e. And not only that, but He is also going to present us faultless before the presence of His glory!
• Col. 1:22 says that we are blameless in His sight.
• Jude says that we will be presented faultless before the dazzling glory of God’s presence!
• The entire Old Testament system taught that NO MAN can approach a holy God. He dwells in a light which no man can approach… His glory is unapproachable.
• Yet one day WE will be presented before that glory… and will stand there faultless!
• At the Second Coming, unbelievers will receive everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
• The presence of His glory is our delight in that day! We stand before it faultless!
• And with JOY!
f. God is ABLE to present us faultless! Do you believe it?
4. I Cor. 1:8 – we will be confirmed to the end and assured of being presented as blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus…
5. Eph. 5:27 = without blemish = same word as unblameable in Col. 1:22
a. The church will one day be presented to Christ as a GLORIOUS church… without spot or wrinkle… robed in pure white!
b. Vs. 25c = He GAVE Himself for the church… that He might present it to Himself a GLORIOUS church…
c. Christ died for the church; sanctifies the church; washes it in His blood and His Word… and then presents it to Himself!
d. At this point, the church will already have appeared before the Bema seat…
• All works done in the power of the flesh will be burned up… as wood, hay, and stubble.
• All works done in the power of the Spirit of God for the glory of God will be rewarded.
• We will be crowned and robed in fine linen, clean and white… prepared as a bride for the bridegroom… for the marriage of the Lamb… when we are united together with Christ forever… in unbroken fellowship!
e. “Holy and without blemish” = same words as appear in Eph. 1:4, God’s purpose for election… and in Col. 1:22.
• That which God determined to transpire before the foundation of the world WILL transpire… exactly as the Lord planned.
Present Condition
1. In the past, God CHOSE us to be holy and without blame. One day in the future, God will PRESENT us as holy and without blame before Christ.
a. In the meantime, this is our POSITION in Christ.
b. We are holy… sanctified… saints…
c. We are blameless… and unreproveable… all of our sins have been paid for by Christ.
d. He is now in the presence of God FOR US. His shed blood has eternally satisfied the Father. No charge can be leveled against us. There is no condemnation.
e. In Christ, we are pure… robed in His righteousness… justified… cleansed… washed… reconciled… accepted… forgiven… forever! That is our position.
2. God’s eternal plan for us… and our settled position in that plan ought to have an effect on our present lives.
a. We are to DWELL upon our heavenly position.
b. We are to REST in our unalterable position in Christ.
c. We are to let these truths settle down and be at home in our hearts.
d. And as we do, our position in Christ (holy; unblameable) will have an effect on the way we live today.
3. Col. 3:12 – because we are holy, we are to “put on” that which ought to accompany holiness.
a. I Pet. 1:16 – “Be ye holy for I am holy.” We are holy positionally.
b. Hence, we ought to be holy NOW in a practical sense too.
4. Phil. 2:15 – We are blameless before God’s bar of justice. Hence, God wants us to be blameless NOW… as we live before the world. Our present condition should be LIKE our position.
a. II Pet. 3:14 – be found without spot and blameless (same root to unblameable). This is all based on the glorious future God has assured to us.
5. Jas. 1:27 – keep yourselves unspotted… The church is without spot or blemish… yet we live in a filthy world, and are exhorted to keep ourselves unspotted.
6. Our glorious position is IN CHRIST… and thus holy and unblameable.
a. As we rest… abide in Him… HE will transform our daily condition.
b. Our responsibility is to REST… in our holy position in Him… and as we BEHOLD the glory of God in Christ… we will be transformed into that same image by the Spirit.
c. As the branch abides in the Vine (our position in Christ), that branch will grow… and become fruitful.
d. The more we are occupied with Christ… and the less we are occupied with self… the more like Him we become…
e. The closer our condition comes to our position. This is spiritual growth, maturity, and progress.
f. Contemplating God’s infinite, marvelous grace in our lives… the eternal and unchangeable position we have in Christ… will have a life transforming effect on each of us. Dwell on this wonderful position… rest in it… revel in it… and see what God will do in your daily life.
If Ye Continue…
Introduction:
1. Consider the flow of the sentence thought:
» You were enemies (vs. 21)
» Yet now He hath reconciled you (vs. 21b)
» To present you holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight
» IF ye continue in the faith…
2. Those troublesome if clauses…
a. Does Paul mean that the Colossians (and us) will not be saved unless they persevere to the end?
b. Does Paul mean that there can be no assurance of salvation in this life… not until we finish our course?
c. Does Paul mean that if they do not continue in the faith grounded and settled that they lose their salvation?
d. Does this “if clause” lay down a condition for salvation? How does that differ from works?
e. If so, HOW closely must they continue in the faith? How grounded and settled must they be? 100%? What if it slips below 100%? Will 60% grounded and settle suffice? Is there a cut off point?
f. What if their faith grows weak? What if they backslide? What if they get mixed up in doctrinal error?
g. Does this mean that we can never really KNOW if we are saved until we have continued to the very end?
3. The if clauses open up a whole Pandora’s Box of potential problems to consider.
a. Misreading these clauses has caused the faith of some to falter… it has discouraged others… it has confused many… it has caused much division in the Body of Christ…
b. Regardless of how difficult they may appear, nevertheless, there they are… right in God’s Word.
c. They are inspired Scripture. They are not to be dismissed, but interpreted properly… and to be BELIEVED.
d. Rest assured… God’s Word properly understood does not cause confusion… nor does it discourage the sincere believer.
e. Rather, God’s Word properly understood ENCOURAGES, challenges, and motivates us.
Those Addressed: Ye
1. The question to be addressed first is “to whom was this written?” Who is the “ye” of vs. 23?
a. Many assume that these words were written to warn the unbelievers in the congregation… and to prick their consciences…
b. But rather than ASSUME, it is always better to READ the text.
2. Follow this “ye” backwards:
a. The same people who will be presented holy, unblameable, and unreproveable… (vs. 22)
b. The same people who WERE (but are no more) enemies of God… (vs. 21)
c. The same people who ARE reconciled – “hath” (vs. 21).
d. The same people who have redemption (vs. 14).
• Here the pronoun switches from “ye” (the Colossians) to “we” (the Colossians plus Paul).
e. The same people who have forgiveness of sins (vs. 14).
f. The same people who have been delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son (vs. 13).
g. The same people who have been made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (vs. 12).
h. The same people for whom Paul prayed to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will; walk worthy; being fruitful; strengthened with all might; etc… (vs. 9-11).
i. The same people who have love in the Spirit (vs. 8).
j. The same people in whom the gospel continued to produce fruit since the day they heard the gospel (vs. 6).
k. The same people who have a hope laid up for them in heaven (vs.5).
l. The same people about whose faith in Christ Paul heard (vs. 4).
m. The same people referred to as saints and faithful brethren (vs.2).
3. Then try following the “ye” forward!
a. 2:5 – Paul was beholding their order and the steadfastness of their faith in Christ.
b. 2:6 – they had received Christ Jesus the Lord.
c. 2:10 – they are complete in Christ.
d. 2:11 – they had been circumcised spiritually.
e. 2:12 they were dead and buried with Christ and rose with Him.
f. 2:13 – they were quickened and forgiven.
g. 3:3 – they were dead and hidden with Christ in God.
h. 3:4 – Christ is their life.
i. 3:9-10 – they had already put off the old and had put on the new man.
j. 3:15 – they were called into one Body… Christ!
4. However you slice it, one fact cannot be ignored: the YE in 1:23 refers to BELIEVERS…
a. They are already redeemed; forgiven; saints; reconciled; delivered; risen with Christ; quickened; complete in Him; they have a hope laid up for them in heaven; they are partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light…
b. This fact is undeniable.
c. The people addressed in this epistle are saved to the uttermost… complete in Christ.
d. Paul is NOT addressing a mixed multitude. Where would you ever get that idea from reading the epistle thus far?
5. This fact rules out one popular interpretation of the IF clauses, namely, that Paul is addressing a mixed multitude.
a. Ex: Harry Ironside: (whom I usually love!) said of the if clause in Col. 1:23: “Paul did not pretend to know who of the Colossians were really born of God. While he had confidence that most of them were, he wanted to stir up the consciences of any who were becoming slack…”
b. I would contend that Paul had no such thought in his mind.
c. He was not addressing those whose salvation was in doubt.
d. Rather, he was addressing believers… those he KNEW to be redeemed, reconciled, forgiven, and delivered!
6. Ironside: I Cor. 15:1-4 – “The “if” was inserted to trouble the consciences of any who, having professed to believe the gospel, were in danger of forgetting the message because they had never really received the truth into their hearts.”
a. God’s Word may have that effect on unbelievers, but it is hardly fair to the text to say that Paul was in doubt of the position of those to whom he wrote. He was not.
7. In Col. 1:23, some have concluded that Paul is speaking to believers up through vs. 22, and then warns any unbelievers in the audience in vs. 23.
a. The problem with that view is that it is an ASSUMPTION based upon language that the interpreter is uncomfortable with…
b. He assumes that the “IF” implies doubt, and that doesn’t fit into his theology… so he then assumes again that Paul is now speaking to another group: the unbelievers in the crowd… and warning them.
8. This is the argument that many folks use in teaching through the book of Hebrews.
a. They say that the author addresses a mixed multitude, and every other verse seems to be speaking to a different audience… and it is up to the interpreter to guess which group is being addressed in each verse.
b. And that “guess” is usually based upon the language… (if it sounds too harsh, it must be a word to the unbelievers—(it is impossible for those who fall away to be renewed unto repentance…)
c. It is a convoluted and subjective way of dealing with God’s Word.
9. A much simpler method of interpretation is to just let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
a. Who IS Paul addressing in Colossians?
b. Well, what does the passage actually SAY about those being addressed?
c. Does he refer to them as a mixed multitude? As a body of believers and unbelievers?
10. The argument is often given: “Well, in any congregation, there are bound to be both believers and unbelievers and the speaker needs to address each in a sermon.”
a. True, BUT — a speaker with any wisdom at all will make it crystal clear to whom he is speaking… especially when he shifts from telling believers how to live… and the unbeliever how to be saved.
b. Also, this is a LETTER, not a church service where unbelievers may enter.
c. He tells us exactly TO WHOM the letter is addressed! It is a letter clearly labeled by the author as being addressed to the SAINTS which are at Colosse… not the unbelievers in Colosse.
d. If I write a letter to you, and address it as such in the opening greeting, you don’t have to wonder who I am talking to on each page… in each sentence. It is addressed to YOU!
e. When the author spells out clearly who he is addressing, that should be the end of the argument.
11. Once that is settled in our minds, we should dismiss the interpretation that views vs. 23 as a warning to the unbelievers.
a. It is not. It is addressed to Christians…
b. It is not so much a WARNING about a Christian losing his salvation.
c. It is rather a word of assurance about the walk of a true believer… he continues or abides in the faith.
d. Paul is not trying to instill doubt into the minds of his readers. He is trying to instill confidence… faith in God… assurance in what God has promised… and he does a fine job at that… once the passage is understood properly.
If Ye Continue…
1. Now, since Paul is addressing believers, what does the IF mean? What does it imply?
a. Doesn’t an IF imply doubt? Uncertainty of one’s final destiny?
b. If a believer does not continue, does that mean that he is no longer reconciled and reverts back to being an enemy of God?
c. We will see here that “if ye continue” is not a condition for becoming saved or maintaining one’s salvation; rather, it is a PROOF of one’s salvation.
d. And what a profound difference between a condition (which makes salvation iffy and doubtful) and a proof (which brings assurance and strengthens faith).
2. IF: (A.T. Robertson) Condition of the first class (determined as fulfilled)
a. Second class condition: an unfulfilled condition
• Heb. 8:4 – “If He were on earth (which He isn’t) He should not be a priest…”
• John 11:21 – Lord, if thou hadst been here, (and you weren’t!) my brother had not died.
• John 4:10 – Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
• This kind of construction speaks of a condition which is NOT fulfilled… it assumes the condition to be untrue and the speaker knows it.
• This is NOT the conditional clause used in Col. 1:23.
b. First class condition: a fulfilled condition…
• This condition assumes the condition to be true.
• John 13:15 – If ye know these things, (and you do because I just told you!) happy are ye if ye do them.
• I Thess. 3:8 – For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. (Paul was not doubting whether they were standing fast or not. He knew they were! (vs.7)
• I John 4:11 – Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (John was not doubting whether God loved them or not! He KNEW that God did love them… he assumed this condition to be TRUE!)
• Rom. 8:31 – If God be for us, (and He most definitely is!) who can be against us? He assumes the condition to be true… SINCE God is for us… who can be against us?
• Col. 3:1 -?If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above… There is no doubt whatsoever as to the position of these saints.
• The first class if clause assumes the condition to be TRUE!
• Hence, in Col. 1:23, Paul ASSUMES that the Colossians WILL continue in the faith, grounded and settled. He does not doubt this for one moment.
• While in English the “if clause” sounds kind of IFY… it did not have that meaning to the author… namely, Paul, and the Holy Spirit who directed his use of words, phrases, and clauses!
3. Paraphrase of vs. 21-23: “You were enemies of God, but are now reconciled, in order that one day you will be presented before God as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable. We can say all this SINCE we know that you will continue in the faith, grounded and settled.
a. HOW does he know this? Because God began this good work in them and He will perform until the day of Jesus Christ!
b. Since might be too strong of a translation… though many use that word for this kind of clause.
c. But IF all by itself is also too strong too. It is misleading.
d. Perhaps it is better to say, “If ye continue in the faith as I know you will…”
e. Wuest: “assuming indeed that you are adhering to the Faith, having been placed upon a foundation with the present result that you are on that foundation, firmly established, and that you are not being shifted away from your hope held out by the good news which you heard…”
4. Here’s where we’ve come so far…
a. Paul is talking not to a mixed multitude, but to true believers… saints… redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
b. Paul states that these former enemies of God have been reconciled in order that they might be presented before God as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.
c. Thirdly, since Paul knows they are saved, he rightly assumes that they will CONTINUE in the faith, grounded and settled… because that is what true believers do!
5. Paul is NOT saying that we are SAVED by means of continuing in the faith… or that we RETAIN our salvation by means of continuing in the faith…
a. Either way, that would mean that my getting into heaven was ultimately contingent upon my efforts!
b. Oh no! Salvation is of the Lord. It is HIS doing from start to finish.
c. But, by continuing in the faith, we simply give EVIDENCE of having been saved already.
d. Assurance of salvation is an encouragement to continue! We are encouraged and reminded that we WILL make it to the end.
6. True believers CONTINUE…
a. Paul uses three tools here to teach this truth.
• The meaning of the word continue = to stay at or with, to tarry, to continue, remain; to abide.
• This term is the word for “abide” with a prefix that intensifies it.
» The “Linguistic Key to the New Testament” explains the prefix this way: “the preposition in compound adds to the force of the linear action of the present tense: “to continue and then some”
• Present tense… adds a further sense of continuing…
b. Paul’s point: true believers WILL continue… there is no question, no doubt, nothing ify about it!
• Believers continue… and while we might stumble on occasion, in the end, believers get up and continue…
• Prov. 24:16 – For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.
c. Believers are overcomers. Period. We may be overcome by this trial or that skirmish, but we ARE overcomers. God said so.
The Faith
1. The next question to consider is, “What does Paul mean by faith?”
a. Is he speaking of faith objectively (The Christian faith… the body of Christian doctrine… the thing believed).
b. Or is he speaking of faith subjectively (one’s personal faith/trust in the Lord).
2. There are good reasons to believe that Paul meant faith in the objective sense: the body of Christian doctrine… the truths that we believe… and hold dear…
a. First, the definite article appears… which points to a particular faith… THE faith… (Although that alone does not settle the issue… the article could appear when faith is used subjectively, but it is most naturally used in the objective sense.)
b. Secondly, the context: Paul is addressing the issue of the false teachers that have infiltrated Colossae with their apostasy: an early form of Gnosticism, shades of Jewish legalism, and asceticism.
i. Paul is combating that error with the TRUTH of the gospel… our true Christian faith…
• The word of the truth of the gospel (1:5)
• The gospel that brings forth fruit (1:6)
• He presents Christ as the very image of God (1:15)
• He presents Christ as Creator (1:16)
• He presents Christ as the One in whom all fullness dwells (1:19)
• He presents the all sufficiency of the cross (1:22)
• In a subtle way, Paul has been weaving his attacks against the error of the false teachers throughout this epistle.
c. Thirdly, the meaning of the faith seems to be amplified in the immediate context as “the gospel which ye have heard…”
• Hence, Paul seems to connect THE faith with the gospel message… making it objective truth that he is describing, rather than the subjective faith of the individual.
• “The faith” refers to that which the Colossians believed…
• While “the faith” can be used in a broad sense in some contexts (Jude 3), it appears to be used in a narrower sense in other contexts… such as Col. 1:23.
d. The faith… the gospel truth… that which the Colossians’ believed was under attack by the false teachers… their body of Christian doctrine… the truth… the faith was under attack…
• Paul rightly assumes that they will continue in THE FAITH… and will not be swerved away from the truth.
• Paul rightly assumes that the attack of the enemy will NOT separate the believer from the truth.
• Paul assumes that true believers will ultimately recognize light when they see it… and will continue in it.
• A blind man may not recognize light, though it be all around him. But a man whose eyes the Lord has opened surely recognizes light when he sees it.
• True disciples continue in God’s Word… in God’s truth… they continue in THE faith (John 13:31).
• Sheep RECOGNIZE the voice of their Shepherd and they follow Him… (John 10:3-4,8, 27).
• John 18:37 – Jesus said to Pilate: Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
e. True believers… those who are genuinely born again WILL continue in the faith.
• There is no such thing as a believer who does NOT continue in faith.
• Believers can become confused…
• Believers can become uncertain about various doctrinal issues…
• Believers can get mixed up in erroneous teachings… charismatic emphasis… non literal, Reformed view of Scripture… can question eternal security… they can become perplexed by prophecy… entangled in legalism… go overboard on an erroneous concept of grace…
• There are all kinds of ways in which a believer can become snared in various doctrinal issues.
• BUT — a true believer WILL continue in THE FAITH.
f. In a similar sense, true believers CANNOT continue in sin.
• Rom. 6:1-2 – they cannot continue in sin because God has CHANGED them… they died to sin and are alive unto God. They have a new nature that will not allow them to continue in sin indefinitely. It will become sick of sin… and hunger after righteousness.
• Rom. 6:14 – sin will NOT have dominion over the believer.
• I John 3:9 – he that is born of God CANNOT commit (habitually practice) sin.
• Why? Because God will intervene in the life of his child.
» Conviction of the Spirit; chastening; even death.
g. THE FAITH
• Eph. 4:4-5 – There is ONE faith = THE faith.
» This faith is universal among believers.
» This is THE faith… the truths that are believed by ALL believers in the Body… the gospel (the narrow sense of “the faith.”)
» Believers may be divided on minor, ancillary issues. There is often division and discord over various doctrinal issues.
» But there are certain things that ALL believers share in common: one Lord… one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all…
» If you don’t share that, you’re not saved. Period.
» THE faith speaks of the essence of our Christian faith: who Christ is and what He has accomplished on Calvary.
» If someone claims to be a Christian and does not hold to THE FAITH, he is a false believer… either he is deceived or is a deceiver.
» One CANNOT be saved and not believe that Jesus is God who became a Man… and who died on the cross… and whose blood paid for our sins… and then rose again.
» THE FAITH is shared by every true believer… and he WILL continue in that faith.
• Acts 6:7 – priests were obedient to “the faith.” This means that they responded to the gospel message and believed “the faith.”
» They did not necessarily understand all the associated doctrinal issues… but they understood the faith as proclaimed in the gospel…
» The faith = who Jesus is (God-Man) and what He did (all sufficiency of His cross work).
• Rom. 1:5 – obedience to the faith = they responded in faith to the gospel… they obeyed the faith by getting saved. They believed the essentials of the faith… who Christ is… His finished work on the cross.
3. Not everyone CONTINUES in the faith.
a. All true believers will continue in THE FAITH… those who do not continue simply demonstrate that they were NEVER saved in the first place!
b. Apostates don’t continue in the faith.
• I Tim. 4:1 – false teachers shall DEPART from the faith. Apostates claim to believe, but they do not continue… proving they were never saved.
c. Pretenders don’t continue in the faith.
• I John 2:19 – True believers continue in the faith with other true believers. False professors will eventually go out… and manifest that they were not really OF us… ever.
d. Shallow professors don’t continue in the faith.
• Matt. 13:20 – seed sown in the stony place
» This ground is stony; with a shallow layer of topsoil
» The seed is sown, and immediately appears to make a good start, but things are not always as they appear.
» It withers away when the sun comes out… trials and tribulations prevent it from “continuing.”
» There is no real root. All is merely superficial.
» Every Bible believing church has seen countless such folks enter their front door… and then a year or two later, go out the back door… and it is heartbreaking…
» They did not continue in the faith—because they were never saved. They never had saving faith…
e. False teachers don’t continue.
• II Pet. 2:20-22 – False teachers CLAIMED to be saved, and did have a head knowledge of Christ…
» And that association improved their lifestyle, at least externally… for a time. By associating with believers, they escaped some of the pollutions of the world.
» But eventually, they were overtaken by their old ways… and they became entangled again in their old ways…
» They were like a washed pig… (superficial cleaning; a whited sepulcher; merely external cleansing).
» Eventually, that clean pig will return to the wallowing in the mire—because an external cleansing did not change its nature. It was a still a pig. It never became a sheep.
» Folks can superficially attach themselves to Christ and Christianity—and it WILL have a healthy effect on them… but it won’t save.
» Association with Christianity might produce enough “changes” to lead folks to believe that they were saved, when in fact, they were NEVER saved.
» They may claim to believe THE FAITH… but unless they were regenerated, it is likely that they will eventually DEPART from the faith they once espoused.
» They did not lose their salvation; they never had it!
» Judas didn’t LOSE his salvation. He was never saved.
4. While false professors may depart from the faith, a true believer can NEVER depart from the faith. A true believer will CONTINUE in the faith. God guarantees it!
a. Eph. 1:4 – He chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him.
b. Col. 1:22 – He reconciled us so that he might present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight!
c. Phil. 1:6 – He who began a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. The moment we believed, God regenerated us… gave us a new nature… dwelt within us… and began a work of transforming us into the image of His dear Son. He will never stop that work in us until the job is done!
d. Our position in Christ is SETTLED for all eternity.
e. The precious blood of Christ was SO entirely and eternally efficacious, that when the Judge of all the earth looks upon us, even HE can find no flaw… and HIS conclusion is: unblameable… unreproveable…
f. The KNOWLEDGE of this and the assurance that it brings is one of the means that God uses to motivate the believer to continue.
5. God has many MEANS available to assure that His people CONTINUE in the faith.
a. One of the REASONS why true believers DO continue in the faith is because of the influence of the Body of Christ.
b. Acts 14:22 – Believers are to EXHORT one another to continue in THE FAITH.
• This is one of the MEANS God uses to assure that believers WILL continue in the faith… because other believers in the Body are exhorting them… helping them along… warning them when they start to go astray…
c. I Cor. 16:13 – stand fast in the faith…
• Paul exhorted the Corinthians to stand fast in the faith…
• Why? Because in the life of ANY believer, there is always the danger of being temporarily swerved aside into error…
• When it comes to THE faith – we need to be exhorted to stand fast: don’t ever bend… don’t ever compromise… don’t ever wander.
• They were to be strong like men… not like babes who are easily swayed… tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. Stand fast… like men.
d. I Tim. 4:16 – Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: (continue = same word as in Col. 1:23)
e. Jude 3 – we are also to CONTEND for the faith… because the faith is under attack and the attacks are real.
f. II Tim. 4:7 – Paul said, “I” have kept the faith. There is human responsibility involved… and yet God assures that the true believer WILL continue in the faith.
g. Nevertheless, God assures us, that regardless of the attacks against THE FAITH… the faith will remain. It will never be destroyed. And regardless of the attacks against us from our enemies, we will remain… abide… continue in the faith.
h. The influence of the Body of Christ on each member is essentially, CHRIST working in and through and by means of His Body… to carry out His purpose for each member.
i. And one of the ways in which God has ordained that we should continue in the faith is for the members of the body to watch out and care for one another.
6. Believers CAN depart from THE Faith in the broad usage of the term. (The faith = the entire body of Christian doctrine…) But a believer can NEVER depart from THE faith in the narrower usage of the term. (the gospel)
a. The Faith in the broad sense: the entire body of Christian doctrine. Believers CAN swerve away from some aspects of the faith.
• Be concerned when you see a brother listening to tapes from a Bible teacher in error…
• Be concerned when you hear of a brother who is reading radical “Christian” literature…
• Be concerned when you see you a brother or a sister getting involved in Reformed theology… or tending towards the charismatic experiences… or being allured toward traditionalism or legalism… or curious about the 7th Day Adventists… or whatever form of error they might be attracted to…
b. The Faith in the narrow sense: the gospel; who Christ is (God-Man) and what He did (died for our sins and rose again).
• Cf. Acts 6:7; Rom. 1:5
• No true believer can ever swerve away from this aspect of the faith.
• Paul goes on to almost DEFINE which aspect of “the faith” he means in Col. 1:23: “be not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”
• True believers BELIEVE… they all share THE faith (Eph. 4:4-5)
c. A true believer can become confused and pursue false doctrine
• When a believer begins to wander, the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts the heart… and yet, the believer may resist the ministry of the Spirit and grieve the Spirit. (Eph. 4:30)
• Jas. 5:19-20 – If he continues to wander away from the faith, God may use YOU to exhort him to come back! Do you know a believer who is beginning to wander from the faith? (BRETHREN, if any of YOU do err from the truth…)
• God may have to resort to severe chastening to get that believer’s attention… whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth…
• God has His means of accomplishing His purpose… and His purpose is that every true believer will continue in the faith… and that God will continue to work in him… and do His great work of transforming that sinner into the image of His dear Son!
• There is a mystery and a tension in play between the responsibility of the individual and the supernatural work of God IN that individual… and between our unalterable, heavenly position in Christ… and our earthly and quite changeable condition of our daily lives.
• But somehow in God’s marvelous power and wisdom, they work together to accomplish God’s eternal plan…
• Rom. 8:29 – He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son… and right now that process is under way… and will continue… until glory.
• This truth is NOT revealed so that we might sit back and say, “Well, I’m going to make it anyway, why sweat it out today? Why not eat, drink, and be merry until that day!?” Some will always twist truth to their own sinful lusts.
7. Rather, this truth is revealed so that the child of God might walk by FAITH in the interim…
a. So that we might KNOW that we are redeemed, reconciled, saved to the uttermost… and that he might KNOW that by God’s grace and supernatural working in him, he WILL continue in the faith to the very end…
b. So that the believer’s PERSONAL subjective faith might be strengthened as he realizes how SAFE he is in Christ… and therefore can continue to walk… trusting, resting, believing, that as weak as I feel today… as hopeless as my fallen flesh is…
• I must KNOW that my old man is DEAD… and I can KNOW that as a new creature empowered by the Spirit of God, I am ABLE to walk in newness of life…
• I am ABLE to continue… because I KNOW and BELIEVE what God has said… HE is able to keep me from falling… and He is able to present me faultless before the throne of God… and in fact He has promised to do so.
• The believer isn’t to walk about fearful that he might not make it to the end… paralyzed by the error that teaches that my making it into heaven is contingent upon whether I can persevere to the end…
• Faith says, I believe I WILL continue to the end… because God said so. Therefore I can continue to walk by faith, trusting in His promise… trusting in His power that He said is working in me… trusting that it is GOD who is working in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure…
• The believer who does NOT know this will not have assurance… and will walk feebly… wobbly… with unsteady steps… uncertain as to whether he will make it to the end. That kind of uncertainty makes our steps falter… and breeds more uncertainty… and more faltering steps.
• But the believer who KNOWS and has assurance can walk in confidence… not self-confidence, but God-confidence (faith!)… and that results in a steady, solid, stable walk that endures.
• That believer will be empowered by that faith… motivated by those promises… and filled with the very presence and power of the God who promised…
• Once again, Paul uses our glorious, heavenly, unalterable position in Christ to motivate us to walk worthy of our high calling in Christ Jesus…
• Col.1:23 presents words of encouragement and confidence for the believer: “You have been reconciled to God and will one day be presented before Him as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable. And I can say this because I know that you will continue in the faith, grounded and settled!”
Grounded, Settled, Unmovable
Introduction:
1. Ground covered last time…
a. Paul is talking not to a mixed multitude, but to true believers… saints… redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
b. Paul states that these former enemies of God have been reconciled in order that they might be presented before God as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable.
c. Thirdly, since Paul knows they are saved, he rightly assumes that they will CONTINUE in the faith… because that is what true believers do!
• Remember, the first class condition Paul uses here does NOT imply doubt or an IFY situation.
• It speaks of a condition which is assumed to be true… fulfilled… almost like SINCE.
2. Next in this passage, Paul deals with two participles and an adjective to help instill confidence and assurance in the Colossians:
a. Grounded…
b. Settled…
c. Not moved away…
GROUNDED AND SETTLED
A. Grounded.
1. Grounded Defined: from the verb: θεμελιόω (themeli-o-oh) – to lay the foundation, to found; to make stable, establish; be firm.
2. Perfect passive participle:
a. Perfect tense: past completed action with continuing results.
• The Colossians were grounded (established on a solid foundation) the moment they were saved.
• And that has CONTINUING results, namely, they are STILL grounded on that solid foundation… and will remain established there!
• The perfect implies that the work of “grounding” the believer is over… finished… once for all. He has been placed on the solid rock foundation by faith.
• He STANDS in a secure position of having been grounded.
b. Passive: the subject does not perform the action, but receives the action. The action is performed by an outside source.
• Thus, it was not the Colossians who grounded themselves and established themselves.
• Rather, it was done TO them by an outside source, namely, God.
• When they put their faith in Christ, the Lord established them firmly on the solid foundation that will enable them to continue in the faith… unshaken by the storms of life.
• The Colossians (because of their faith in Christ) have been established by God once and for all on a solid foundation and they remain established on that foundation…
3. I Cor. 3:11 – Christ is the sure foundation upon which we are laid. That is firm and secure.
a. I Cor. 3:11 – every true believer is ON the solid foundation, Christ. No other foundation will suffice.
b. I Cor. 3:12 – every true believer BUILDS upon that foundation. (wood, hay, stubble OR gold, silver, precious stones)
c. The quality of believers’ lives varies vastly.
d. But notice that their lives (that which they build upon the foundation) remain on the foundation until the Bema seat… and that occurs in HEAVEN.
e. At that point, the quality of the believers’ lives and ministries will be judged… for rewards or loss of (potential) rewards.
f. Believers continue in the faith grounded and settled… safe and secure… and are on the foundation until they arrive in heaven.
g. Works that are done in the flesh do not cause a believer to be MOVED AWAY from the foundation. But those works will be examined one day… and burnt up… yet the believer remains SAVED… so as by fire… and will continue (vs. 15).
h. Note that regardless of the quality of the building materials (one’s Christian life/ministry on earth), that believer continues until the Bema Seat.
i. He remains, even though there may not be much to show for his life. Much of what he “built” may be burnt up, but he himself remains.
j. Yet EVERY man at the Bema will receive SOME praise from God. (I Cor. 4:5)
• No believer can continue in sin indefinitely. God will intervene.
• Every believer has walked with God and obeyed God and has done SOMETHING for the Lord… has produced SOME good fruit. For if there is NO fruit at all, he was never saved.
• Matt. 13:18-23 – Believers are likened to the GOOD ground… and the good ground produces fruit… in varying quantities and in varying qualities… but there will always be SOME fruit in the life of a true believer. If the ground is good (true believer) there WILL be fruit.
• John 15:16 – Good fruit will REMAIN… until the Bema Seat and the believer who bore that fruit will be rewarded. Hence, the believer WILL continue (remain) until the Bema… along with his fruit.
• He will CONTINUE in the faith… and will CONTINUE grounded on the foundation of Christ to the very end. We are saved to the uttermost.
• The REASON the believer continued to the Bema had nothing to do with the quality of his “building materials” or his personal talents as a builder.
• It had to do solely with the quality of the FOUNDATION upon which he rested.
• A marvelous edifice built on the sand does not continue. But a little shack on the solid rock WILL continue and abide through the storms of life…
4. Eph. 2:20 – (noun form) the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ being the chief corner stone.
a. Believers in the church have been built upon the proper foundation.
b. The apostles and prophets are not the foundation, but rather they laid the foundation… through the revelation given to them by God.
c. The foundation consists of the writings of the apostles and New Testament prophets… THE TRUTH… Christ being the chief Cornerstone.
d. Everyone who is born again is part of the Body, the church. Every member of the church is ON this foundation… and is thus safe and secure on THE TRUTH.
e. The believer who is on this foundation WILL continue in and on THE FAITH and IS grounded and settled… even if he stands on that foundation his whole life, knees knocking, biting fingernails, scared to death he won’t be able to endure. If he is on the right foundation, he WILL continue in the faith.
f. But the other believer on that foundation, who KNOWS God’s Word and BELIEVES it… will not stand there knees knocking. He will rest comfortably on that foundation, KNOWING that whatever storm he may face, he WILL continue in the faith… part of the church… and on the foundation.
g. FAITH in God’s promises and the assurance that brings to the heart enables the believer to REST comfortably in His Father’s hands… or on the Solid Rock Foundation.
h. It is this assurance and confidence that enables the believer to continue…
i. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” (Isa. 30:15)
5. II Tim. 2:19 – the foundation of God standeth sure… He KNOWS who is on that foundation and who is not. No uncertainty in God’s mind whatsoever.
a. This foundation STANDS.
b. Standeth = perfect active indicative; this foundation was laid down once and for all in the past, and remains in place to the present time.
c. The foundation that God made (either the church itself or the foundation upon which the church is built) REMAINS. It stands.
d. It stands SURE= strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid. 1a in a bad sense, stiff, stubborn, hard. 1b in a good sense, firm, steadfast.
e. The REASON for the believer continuing in the faith, grounded and settled is not found within the believer.
• Continuing in the faith is determined solely by the foundation upon which he stands.
• The foundation CONTINUES… it stood, and it remains standing, and will continue to stand… immovable… steadfastly… firm and sure.
f. This foundation is safe and secure because God’s seal is on it!
• Security doesn’t get any better than that! (A product in the market might have a good housekeeping seal of approval on it… or perhaps a ladder comes with an OSHA seal of approval.)
• Those organizations put their reputations behind that product and assure you that it is safe and that it works.
• God puts His seal on this foundation… His seal indicates the integrity of the foundation. It’s been approved by God and it works.
6. Luke 6:48 – when the floods came, this house stood, because its foundation was laid upon a rock… grounded and settled.
a. Both the noun and verb form of the word appear in this verse.
b. Foundation = noun
c. Founded = verb
d. The foundation here represents “obedience as an evidence of genuine saving faith.”
• Vs. 46 – many SAY they believe, but there is no evidence of it.
• Many will come to the Lord in that day, and SAY, “Lord, Lord, have not we done many wonderful works?” Words of faith were not a sufficient substitute for faith.
• Words or a phony profession of faith will not suffice.
• The only thing that will suffice is being grounded upon a solid foundation. (Faith in Christ—evidenced by a changed life.)
e. In other words, as believers, we are safe because of the foundation upon which we rest.
f. In this illustration, both men may build solid, well built homes.
• They may both continue for a while too…
• It is not until the trials of life come in like a flood that our faith is tested as to whether it is genuine or not.
• When the floods came, one house collapsed because it was not built on a solid foundation.
• This is similar to the illustration of the rocky ground professor. He claims faith in Christ… but when the trials come (sun comes out and begins to burn…) he is gone… proving that he had no root… nothing substantive… all is merely external and superficial.
• But when the flood beat upon the home on the solid foundation, it stood fast… it continued… grounded and settled and was not moved away.
• The house built on the sand (the false professor) was NOT grounded and settled… and DID move away… proving that his profession of faith was merely superficial and not genuine.
B. Settled
1. Defined: sitting, sedentary. 2 firm, immovable, steadfast.
2. Paul pictures the Colossians as having been established on a foundation…
3. And not just established on that foundation—but hunkered down… seated… immovable…
4. The believer is not just ON the foundation, but is seated firmly on it… settled in…
NOT MOVED AWAY
A. Not Moved Away.
1. Moved away: from the verb: μετακινέω (metakineh-oh) – to move away; be removed (and no longer exist), to be displaced; be shifted from, with an implication of force.
2. Present, passive, participle.
a. Note that the word “be” was added by the translators. It almost makes this sound like a command: Be not moved away!
b. In fact, it is not a command, but a participle.
c. This term does not tell them what to DO. Rather, it tells them what has already been DONE.
• This term continues to describe who the Colossian believers ARE. They are those who are NOT being moved away…
• This is not a command or an exhortation not to move away. The exhortation section of the epistle begins after 3:1. In this section, Paul is describing their POSITION… making it clear to the believers where they stand with God: grounded; settled; unmovable!
• There is a massive difference between commanding a believer to DO something (continue in the faith)… and from assuring him that he WILL continue in the faith.
• By stating: you are reconciled IF YOU continue… and IF YOU are not moved away… and seeing that as a command, the outcome is up to the believer… whether he “makes it” or not. That breeds uncertainty and doubt. That was NOT Paul’s purpose.
• But by stating as Paul did: Since you assuredly WILL continue in the faith and since you will NOT be moved away… this instills hope, confidence, and strengthens faith. This WAS Paul’s purpose.
d. Context: You have been reconciled to God. God reconciled you so that one day you will stand before Him holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. I know that you will stand before Him holy and unblameable SINCE you WILL continue in the faith… SINCE you have been established by God once and for all on a solid foundation and they remain established on that foundation… and SINCE you are NOT in the process of continually being moved away from the hope of the gospel.
e. Paul is expressing his utmost CONFIDENCE in the believers at Colossae. He KNOWS they will continue… and that they will not be moved away from their hope in the gospel.
f. There is NO ongoing process of undermining those on the solid foundation… there is no outside source that is gradually and continually causing them to slip or move away.
g. That process is NOT occurring.
h. Others may be in a process of being gradually and continually moved away from the hope of the gospel. False teachers, false professors… but not the Colossians… for they are redeemed, reconciled, saints!
3. The city of Colosse was in a region that was often shaken by earthquakes.
a. They were familiar with earthquakes and their aftermaths… with buildings that collapsed because they were not built on a solid foundation…
b. Some believe Paul intended to bring this to mind as he wrote these words… that since they were saved, nothing could shake them… or move them.
c. They were on a solid foundation… and the foundation of God standeth SURE… unshakable… unmovable…
d. They had nothing to fear: (Ps. 46:1-3) = God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ? 2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst? of the sea; ? 3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
4. What assurance is found in these two participles:
a. Grounded: perfect participle: action which was completed in the past which continues to the present. (They were grounded at conversion and remain grounded!)
b. Not moved away: present participle: action in the present which continues on into the future…
B. The Hope of the Gospel
1. The hope of the gospel = the hope that the gospel message engenders in the heart of the believer.
2. Eph. 2:12 – before we came to know Christ, we had NO such hope. We were without hope and without God. Godless = hopeless.
3. Hope: not a hope-so, but a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation… confident expectation of eternal good… based upon truth, the promises of God’s Word, arising from the gospel.
4. This is a kind of generic statement about hope… not defining it particularly… and thus is broad enough to include MANY aspects of the believers hope in Christ that is the result of responding in faith to the gospel.
a. Col. 1:5 – the hope that is laid up for you in heaven.
b. Col. 1:27 – the hope of future glory… of which the indwelling presence of Christ is but a foretaste.
c. Col. 3:4 – the hope of appearing with Him in glory.
d. John 17:24 – the hope of being with Christ and beholding His glory!
e. Titus 2:13 – the hope of Christ’s return… and the resurrection and redemption of our bodies… that we shall be like Him…
f. I Tim. 1:1—our hope resides in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ. He IS our hope.
• The only reason we have any hope is because of Him and because of what He provided for us on Calvary… and because of His promises in the Word: His Person, His Provision, and His Promises.
• All of our hopes for the future are attached to Him… to His work on the cross… to His resurrection and ascension… to His present High Priestly intercessory ministry…
g. John 14:1-3 – the hope of a home in heaven… finally home!
• Jesus was about to go to the cross and leave His disciples on their own… He would be leaving this world for glory.
• Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples by leaving them with bright HOPE for tomorrow…
• This is the hope that the gospel brings to the one who puts his trust in Christ.
5. What awesome words of assurance the apostles leaves with the Colossians… and with us as believers:
a. We were enemies of God, but now have been reconciled!
b. God will present all those reconciled as holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight!
c. Paul assures the saints that they WILL continue in the faith…
d. He assures us that we have a hope that is unshakable… unmovable… and we are grounded and settled on a foundation… salvation is irreversible!
6. In the first two chapters of Colossians, Paul describes their glorious position in Christ…
a. Then, when we get to chapter 3, Paul begins making exhortations to the believers concerning HOW they should live… and those exhortations are BASED upon their position in Christ. (Col. 3:1 – if ye then be risen… set your affection on things above!)
b. This is what he does in Ephesians too: 3 chapters of describing their position… and then in 4:1 he begins his exhortations BASED upon their position: therefore, walk worthy of your high calling!
c. This is what he does in Romans too: 11 chapters of doctrine and explaining their position as justified by faith… and then… based on that truth… he begins his section of exhortations: I beseech you THEREFORE, by the mercies of God, present your body a living sacrifice…
d. Before good fruit will be borne, God wants us to KNOW about our glorious position in Christ… when that truth sinks in, we will be able to REST in that position… ABIDE in that position… hunker down, grounded and settled… as a branch abides in its position in the Vine… and from that position FRUIT is borne… LIFE is manifested… Christ is exalted…
e. When it finally sinks in just how FINISHED the finished work of Christ on the cross really is… and how utterly SAFE we are in Him… then we will have the faith to REST in Him…
f. And from that heavenly position, we are thus able to WALK in newness of life… to walk worthy of our high calling in Christ… and to SEEK those things which are above.
g. But ever follow Paul’s inspired pattern: FIRST comes an acknowledgement of and a resting in our position, and THEN comes a worthy walk.
h. Every branch abiding in Christ (our position in Christ in heavenly places) beareth fruit.
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED: Before you can continue in the faith, you must BEGIN in the faith. Trust Christ as your Savior today. Trusting in anything else (religion; works; lifestyle; etc.) is sinking sand… and will not endure the judgment of God.
Rejoicing in My Sufferings for You
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you
1. Paul was suffering and he was suffering now (presently at the time of the writing).
a. Suffering:
• Internally: an inward state of affliction; passion.
• Externally: affliction; calamity.
• Rom. 8:18 – Paul used this term to describe the sufferings in this present time… suffering in the body… afflictions as a result of life in a cursed earth…
b. He was suffering because he was in prison, and writing this letter from prison in Rome.
c. In addition to the suffering of confinement, the false teachers would use this fact to ridicule Paul and attempt to discredit him… as a jailbird. (It didn’t seem very respectable!) This also was a further attempt of the enemy to make Paul suffer.
d. Paul’s opposition slandered him because of his imprisonment in order to bring shame and disgrace upon him and his ministry.
e. But the very thing the opposition hoped to use to discredit him, Paul used to magnify his office!
2. Paul was not ashamed. In fact, he REJOICED in his present sufferings.
a. Paul was not rejoicing BECAUSE of his sufferings… as if pain and suffering brought him pleasure!
• He was rejoicing in the midst of his sufferings.
• He didn’t like suffering any more than you or I would.
• Paul didn’t belong to the 700 Club… there was nothing phony about Paul. He didn’t PRETEND to enjoy affliction itself.
• But he did have JOY in the midst of suffering—as when he sang hymns in prison, as the blood from the whipping on his back began to dry up…
• James says to count it all joy when we fall into divers trials. But we don’t count it all joy BECAUSE of our trials. That is phony.
• Rather, we count it all joy in the midst of our trials, KNOWING that IN THE END… the trying of your faith worketh patience… and God is doing His great work in our heart through it.
• Trials and chastening of all sorts are never fun, but are grievous… but JOY can be experienced in the midst of it KNOWING the work God is accomplishing through it: fruit unto His glory and honor!
• The deep abiding joy comes from KNOWING the fruitful end… not from the present affliction!
• Paul had earlier prayed that the Colossians would be “strengthened with all might unto all patience and longsuffering with JOYFULNESS!”
b. Paul was suffering in prison, but he wasn’t in jail for stealing or refusing to pay his taxes. He was in prison for his faith in Christ.
c. Suffering as a Christian is nothing to be ashamed about. (I Peter 4:15–16).
d. Paul rejoiced that he was “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).
e. Jesus said, “BLESSED are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. REJOICE and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matt. 5:10–12)
f. This is exactly what Paul was doing: he was suffering for righteousness sake… and was rejoicing in it!
g. The false teachers thought they could shame Paul for being in prison. Paul turned the tables on them… and made it clear that he was anything but ashamed.
h. He counted it an HONOR to suffer for Christ… and one day the Lord would reward him for it in glory!
i. And it is an honor for US to suffer for Christ today too!
3. For you: His sufferings were for the Colossians.
a. He was in prison because of his ministry to the gentiles, like the Colossians…
b. Eph.3:1 – “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.”
c. Acts 22:21-22 – Paul was giving his testimony before the Jewish leaders, and as soon as he mentioned the fact that God sent him to the Gentiles, the Jews immediately decided he was worthy of death… and from that point on, Paul was held as a prisoner, and ultimately sent to Rome.
d. The false teachers hoped to use Paul’s imprisonment as a wedge between him and the Colossians… but Paul turned it around, and it became a point of endearment between him and the people in Colossae. He was in prison for them!
e. And he wasn’t ashamed… nor was he regretting it. Instead, he was rejoicing in his sufferings for them.
f. Paul was in prison because of his love for the Gentiles and his desire to bring the gospel message to them… that they might be saved and delivered from the bondage of sin and death. That was no cause for shame.
g. The Colossians understood that kind of love too.
That which is behind of afflictions of Christ
A. The Afflictions of Christ
1. Paul states in this verse, that in some sense, he shared in the afflictions of Christ.
2. The afflictions of Christ mentioned here do NOT refer to Christ’s suffering on the cross for the sins of the world. That He did alone. No one has or could share in that.
a. Thilipsis: a pressing, pressing together, pressure; oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress.
b. This term affliction is never used of Christ’s sufferings on the cross.
c. This term is used of earthly sufferings in the body.
d. It speaks of all the pressures, trials and tribulations of life.
3. Christ was afflicted in many ways during His earthly ministry.
a. He was afflicted as He saw the effects of sin all around Him. (John 11:33-38)
b. He was afflicted when He saw people reject Him and the life He offered. (Matt. 23:37)
c. He suffered in the flesh physically, living in a sin cursed earth. He grew tired. He hungered; He thirsted; Christ was just as susceptible to colds, viruses, and sickness as anyone else in a mortal body in a sin cursed world!
d. He was afflicted when He saw people oppose His ministry. (Mark 8:11-12)
e. He was afflicted when He contemplated the cross and the sins of the world being placed upon Him. (Luke 22:44) Christ suffered as He thought about the suffering that God’s will for His life involved.
f. God’s will always involves a degree of suffering—because it means DEATH to self-will… absolute surrender to His will.
g. He was afflicted for righteousness’ sake. He did good works and men wanted to stone Him. (John 10:31-32)
h. These are some of the various ways in which Christ suffered affliction during His earthly ministry… as He preached the gospel, radiated the light of God, stood for righteousness, and suffered for it.
i. We too suffer in similar ways as believers. And as we do, we FELLOWSHIP in His sufferings. (Phil. 3:10)
B. That Which is Behind
1. Behind: deficiency, that which is lacking.
2. The term implies that there is something LACKING in the sufferings of Christ… that His sufferings were not quite finished… that there are more sufferings to come for Him.
3. Again, Paul is NOT talking about Christ’s suffering on the cross.
a. Rome uses this passage to teach that Christ’s work on the cross was NOT finished and that there is some more suffering that WE must endure after death to help provide redemption. They use this passage to justify their false doctrine of purgatory… and claim that the sufferings of Christ on the cross must be supplemented by the merits of Mary and the saints…
b. Nothing could be further from the truth. WE can add nothing to Christ’s finished work. Our righteousness is referred to by God as filthy rags. We have no merit of our own to add.
c. Clearly Jesus believed his work on the cross finished the job. He cried out: It is finished!
d. Clearly the New Testament speaks of His cross-work as finished:
• Heb. 10:10, 14 – by ONE offering He perfected forever!
• Heb. 9:12 – through His blood shed on the cross, Christ obtained eternal redemption for us!
• There is NOTHING lacking in Christ’s work on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins.
4. But there is something LACKING in the afflictions of Christ for righteousness’ sake… in one sense.
a. I Pet. 2:21 – In all of this suffering and affliction, Christ left an example for us to follow. He suffered, but He did not strike back.
b. Christ suffered for righteousness sake. And all those who follow Him will also suffer for righteousness sake.
c. John 15:18-21 – Jesus warned that those who follow Him will suffer persecution and affliction… for HIS names’ sake!
d. Christ suffered for righteousness sake while He was on earth, but His life was cut short.
e. There is MORE suffering to be accomplished for His names’ sake.
f. Those who suffer in a cursed earth as Christ did… are in a sense, experiencing the afflictions of Christ.
g. They are the SAME kind of sufferings HE endured
• He was afflicted as He saw the effects of sin all around Him. (John 11:33-38) … AND SO WILL WE BE!
1. Isn’t it painful to watch a loved one ruin his life in sin… when you have the cure, and he won’t take it!
2. Isn’t it an awful form of suffering to watch a wayward child be carried away by his sin…
3. It is an awful form of suffering to watch families disintegrate all around you—and you have the cure, but they won’t listen.
4. It is inward suffering to watch the effects of an awful disease ravage the body of a loved one…
5. It is suffering of the heart to see a loved one die… and all death is the result of the fact that sin entered the world.
• He was afflicted when He saw people reject Him and the life He offered. (Matt. 23:37)… and so will we be.
1. Christ dedicated His life to preaching the gospel… that others might have life.
2. He brought the gospel of the Kingdom to Israel, and they rejected it.
3. That broke His heart… and our hearts are equally broken when we bring the gospel of God’s grace to a loved one… and they dismiss it… reject it… scoff at it. That is suffering.
• He was afflicted when He saw people oppose His ministry. (Mark 8:11-12)… and so will we be.
1. Christ experienced opposition to His holy life and to His ministry.
2. Today there are thousands who are quietly suffering because of opposition.
3. Perhaps it comes from an unsaved mate… or unsaved parents…
4. Most of us have no idea how difficult it is just to get to church for some folks whose family is not saved… and gives them grief every time they try to go to church or read their Bible.
• He was afflicted for righteousness’ sake. He did good works and men wanted to stone Him. (John 10:31-32)… and so will we.
1. All those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2. The world hates us and our testimony.
3. We are not persecuted in this country at the end of a gun, but there is a lot of subtle forms of persecution that takes place…
4. Believers left out of their unsaved family gatherings… believers by passed for a job because the whole office hates their testimony… the constant barrage of jokes and innuendos at the office or the factory…
5. Paul equated his suffering (and by application, our suffering) with the afflictions of Christ.
a. Again, NOT Christ’s suffering on the cross for sin, but His earthly sufferings for righteousness sake.
b. Paul shared in that. He too suffered for righteousness sake. In fact, he was writing this letter from prison because he was arrested and imprisoned for preaching the gospel and doing God’s will.
c. That’s exactly what Christ was arrested for and ultimately executed for.
d. The suffering for righteousness sake that Paul endured was in KIND the same as the suffering for righteousness that Christ endured.
e. I Pet 4:13 – we are PARTAKERS of Christ’s sufferings.
• Partakers: koinoneo: to come into communion or fellowship with, to become a sharer, be made a partner.
• There is a joint-communion or fellowship in suffering between Christ and us! What a thought!
• Our sufferings are really His… and He enters into our sufferings WITH us.
f. II Cor. 11:23-29 – Paul knew WELL about the KIND of afflictions Christ endured. He suffered much in his ministry for the Lord.
g. In fact EVERY true believer who lives godly will suffer persecution… the same KIND of suffering Christ experienced.
h. As believers, we ALL suffer the same kind of afflictions as Christ did… though they vary greatly in DEGREE, they are the same in KIND.
i. He suffered MORE than we will ever suffer… but He left us an example to follow… an example of a life dedicated to righteousness and a life willing to suffer for it… without striking back.
j. He set the example… and expects that we follow that same path.
k. In other words, Christ expects that His body continue to live for righteousness and to continue to suffer for it.
l. He expects the church to pick up the suffering where Christ left off.
m. The Head is gone, but the Body continues to suffer on earth.
n. As the Body of Christ continues the work of Christ on earth (preaching the Word and manifesting Christ in the world), it will continue to suffer for it.
o. Christ’s earthly ministry was cut short after 3 years… but there is much more suffering for righteousness to come.
p. The world has a lot more hatred it wants to VENT against Christ. But since He is in heaven, and the world is unable to strike Him, so they strike out at His Body, the church.
q. As we live for the Lord and manifest Christ, the world will continue to strike out at us… and cause us to suffer… because it CANNOT strike out at Christ.
r. There is still more suffering to go…
Fill up that which is behind…
A. Fill Up
1. Fill up defined:
a. This term appears only here in the New Testament.
b. To fill up in turn; complete.
2. Paul is stating that he was taking his turn in sharing with Christ His afflictions.
a. This is a filling up in turn.
b. Christ suffered during His earthly life… and all those who follow Him stand in line and take their turn at suffering.
c. The world has a lot more hatred against Christ to vent… and believers are added to the church daily… willingly lining up to take those strikes and to suffer for Christ’s names’ sake… and this utterly confounds the world!
d. Every believer who lives godly SHALL suffer persecution.
e. There are no exceptions. It is as if we were all standing in line, waiting our turn to experience our share of suffering.
• Are you willing to stand in line and wait your turn to suffer for the glory of God?
• Some of you might be experiencing affliction and suffering in your life right now. You are partaking of Christ’s afflictions… fellowshipping with Him in His sufferings. This is cause for joy and rejoicing… IF we understand the END of it all… more like our Savior!
• For others, you’re standing in line… your turn is coming soon!
3. Present active indicative: (fill up) = that Paul may continually be in the process of completing the afflictions of Christ in his flesh.
4. II Cor. 1:5 – the sufferings of Christ abound in us…
5. Some see in Paul’s words the idea that God has a set number of sufferings for His Body to endure… God has a quota of suffering ordained for His Body.
a. It is true that the Lord said to Paul, “for I will show him how great things he MUST suffer for my name’s sake.”
b. The Lord knew how much suffering Paul would endure… and each of us!
c. It is as if God is giving the world time now to strike against Christ if they choose… by striking out at His Body.
d. But, that those days will be cut short. God will not allow this to go on forever.
e. One day He is coming to take His bride to glory… and to judge the world in righteousness.
f. At that point, the sufferings will be complete… nothing behind or lacking any more.
In my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.
1. Paul suffered in the flesh.
a. This means in his body (not the sin nature)
b. “In my flesh” could refer to that which Paul suffered while in his body: which would include suffering physically, and emotionally… externally and internally. Every form of suffering we experience, we experience in our body.
c. Gal. 6:17 – Paul bore in his body (flesh) the marks of the Lord Jesus.
• These were physical scars left on his body from the whippings and the beatings that he willing submitted to for the sake of Christ.
• While the false teachers wanted to use his imprisonment and scars as displays of disgrace, to Paul they were badges of honor!
• He rejoiced to be able to suffer for Christ’s Body’s sake!
d. II Cor. 11:23-28: and he suffered more than most of the other disciples… certainly more than us!
• Physically: stripes; prisons; stoned; beaten.
• Emotionally: perils of waters; perils of robbers; perils of his own countrymen; perils among false brethren; the care of all the churches which came on him daily.
• His sufferings, like Christ’s, were internal, external, physical, mental, and emotional. And through them all, the Lord delivered him.
2. For His Body’s sake: What Paul suffered, he suffered FOR the church (huper – in behalf of the church)
a. Paul states here that he was suffering in the flesh, and that his suffering was FOR the church…
b. For the benefit of the church, the Body of Christ.
• Paul suffered because he was preaching Christ to the Gentiles… and because his ministry was to establish churches… train believers… teach the truth… and to send others out to do likewise.
• He committed the truth to faithful men who would in turn commit it to other faithful men.
c. The world hated this ministry and caused Paul to suffer much for it.
d. But Paul was WILLING to suffer, to endure all kinds of painful experiences, for the benefit of the church! (are you?)
e. In carrying out God’s Work on earth (preaching the gospel in the world; ministering in the local church; serving Christ at home)—there is always suffering involved.
• We are all called to share in this suffering.
• Every member of the Body is to carry his own burden… his share of the load of suffering.
• We all need to be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ’s Body.
• There is suffering involved in serving God in the local church.
• There is the collective grief we all share when a believer falls away from the Lord…
• There is the collective suffering we share when someone stirs up controversy and trouble in the Body… (Over something really important like the colors of the curtains…)
• There was suffering involved in putting up this church building… cuts, black thumbs, sore elbows, cuts, bruises, asthma attacks, a heart attack, and lots of sacrifice of precious time…
• There is a collective grief we share when we see carnal believers refusing to grow up…
• But mature believers, like Paul, are WILLING to sacrifice and suffer and pour their lives out as a drink offering in the work of the Lord in the local church… and not only so, but to REJOICE in it!
f. Paul was WILLING to suffer… for the benefit of the church!
g. Paul did not share the ME generation’s concept of the church: “What can I GET OUT of it?”
h. Rather, Paul’s attitude was, “What can I POUR INTO it?
• Paul decided to pour his whole life into ministering to the Body of Christ… his life was a drink offering poured out in the service of Christ for His Body’s sake.
• How do YOU view the local church? What is YOUR concept of the church?
• He was willing to suffer to incredible lengths for the sake of the Body. (II Tim. 2:10 – suffer for the elect’s sake.)
• Today we see folks who, are not only unwilling to suffer for the local church, but aren’t even willing to get out of bed to come to Sunday school… aren’t willing to drag themselves away from the golf course to gather with the saints for worship… unwilling to get off the couch to come to prayer meeting…
• There are folks who, if someone steps on their toe, or says something unpleasant to them, they are ready to quit the local church… as if their personal pleasure and feelings were more important than the Bride of Christ!
• Let’s admit it: we have a very shallow concept of the local church and of its value to God… of how PRECIOUS the local church is to Christ… it’s His bride!
• God help us!
• It is through SUFFERING for the benefit of the Body (fellowship in His sufferings) that we learn experientially how PRECIOUS the Bride of Christ really is to Christ.
• The most valuable learning only comes through suffering… through the cross… we fellowship with Christ’s sufferings and are made conformable to His death… only THEN do we experience the resurrection LIFE of Christ working in us! No suffering, no glory.
3. Acts 9:4 – When Saul persecuted the church, the Body of Christ, it was equal to inflicting suffering on Christ Himself.
a. Smiting Christ’s Body (the church) is like smiting the Head. The way we treat Christ’s Body is a reflection of our attitude and treatment of Christ Himself.
b. The Body of Christ is on earth… living in a sin cursed environment… in a hostile environment… shining forth light in the midst of darkness, where the darkness hates the light. The Body suffers for its ministry here… and the world persecutes the body in countless ways.
c. The Head feels everything the Body feels. When the Body is afflicted, Christ is afflicted. Any attack against the Body is an attack against its Head.
d. As the Body suffers on earth, Christ our Head suffers in heaven.
e. In a real sense, when any MEMBER of that Body suffers, Christ also suffers…
f. And in a real sense, when any member of the Body suffers, ALL the members of the Body suffer with it. This is part of the mystery, glory, and wonder of the Body of Christ.
g. There is a CLOSENESS in the relationship between Christ and His Body that we can only dimly understand.
h. Christ CONTINUES to suffer as His Body suffers for Him.
• This makes good sense.
• Christ dwells in His Body. His life is flowing through His Body. He lives and dwells there… and He also suffers there!
• If you punch me in the stomach, the person living and dwelling in this body feels it.
• So too with Christ. He lives in His Body and feels it when His Body is mistreated.
i. Phil. 1:29 – it is GIVEN to us to suffer for His name.
j. The world hates Christ, but since the ascension, they have not been able to vent their hatred against Him.
• Hence, they take it out on His Body, the Church.
• The suffering the church endures is in reality the afflictions of Christ. It is really meant for Him.
k. Paul REJOICED that he—he who considered himself the least of all saints… and the chief of sinners… was counted worthy to suffer for Christ and His Body. It was a privilege to him.
4. There is GLORY to follow the suffering.
a. Rom. 8:17 – if we suffer (and we do!) then we shall also be glorified together.
b. Glorification is for those who suffer for Christ.
c. A willingness to share in Christ’s sufferings on earth is a mark of a true believer. And all those who share in His sufferings will also share in His glory.
d. In fact, the MORE we are willing to share in His sufferings, the more rewards in glory we will receive!
e. Phil. 3:10 – This brings us back to the cross… living the crucified life… reckoning self to be DEAD… day by day… and moment by moment. This is the ultimate and ongoing means in which we share in the afflictions of Christ… being made conformable to His death.
f. That ongoing attitude of death to self results in the Spirit filled LIFE of Christ manifested in and through us… to His honor and glory.
A Minister of the Gospel and the Church
Paul, a Minister of the Gospel (vs. 23c)
A. The Gospel Was Heard by the Colossians
1. 1:23 – they heard about the HOPE of the gospel.
2. 1:5 – they heard the word of the truth of the gospel.
3. 1:6 – which (gospel) came unto you.
4. 1:6 – in the gospel they learned of the grace of God in truth.
5. 1:7 – they learned this from Epaphras.
6. 1:14 – they were taught about redemption through His blood.
7. 1:14 – they were taught about forgiveness of sins.
8. 1:20-21 – they were taught about reconciliation through the blood of the cross.
9. Clearly, the gospel was heard and known by the Colossians.
10. Do YOU know the gospel? It is a very simple message:
a. God the Father sent His Son to earth to become a man…
b. Christ, the God-Man, was crucified for the sins of the world. My sin and yours were placed on Him.
c. Christ paid the penalty of sin completely. The work of salvation was FINISHED 2000 years ago.
d. Now that the sin issue has been settled forever, God is free to offer salvation to the whole world… but only on HIS terms.
e. God’s terms: FAITH… believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It really is that simple.
f. Have you trusted in Christ for salvation? He offers you eternal life… but you must come to Him in faith.
B. The Gospel Was Preached to Every Creature Under Heaven
1. This is obviously a figure of speech.
a. It does not mean that every human being on earth heard the gospel message at the time of the writing of this epistle.
b. Rather, it speaks of the fact that the gospel is to BE preached to every creature under heaven.
c. It speaks of the universal proclamation of the gospel…
d. It was God’s intention for every creature to hear the message… this was His Great Commission to preach the gospel to every creature. Paul is simply stating that that commission is in the process of being carried out.
e. Acts 2:5 – on Pentecost, there were devout men from every nation under heaven.
• This too was a figure of speech…
• It is unlikely that there were any Aborigines there from Australia or that there were any citizens of Tibet.
• Nor were there any there from the Apache nation.
• It is a figure of speech, like saying, they came from everywhere… though not literally. Or, “Everybody was there.”
f. Rom. 1:8 – Paul thanked God that their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world.
• It is unlikely that at the time of that epistle, folks in inland China heard about the faith of the relatively tiny group of Christians in Rome.
• It means in all parts of the known world to the writer… namely, north, east, south, and west…
g. The literal method of interpretation allows for figures of speech… some have referred to this as hyperbole: exaggeration for the purpose of making a point… a generalization, not requiring statistical exactness.
h. EW Bullinger lists this expression in Col. 1:23 as a synecdoche (the exchange of one idea for another associated idea.)
• Creature is put for man.
• The gospel was preached to every MAN… used in the sense of mankind… without distinction of nationality, gender, social background, etc…
• But not every single person on the planet.
2. Paul’s purpose and point:
a. The false teachers were proclaiming that truth was restricted to a few initiates…
b. Early Gnosticism was restricted to a select group of insiders with special knowledge. No one else could know their spiritual secrets.
c. The gospel message was completely UNLIKE their message. It was not just for a select few, but was for every creature under heaven! All of mankind… from every nation… every social class… every educational level… every economic background… red, yellow, black, and white…
C. Paul Was Made a Minister of the Gospel
1. Minister: diakonos
a. Strong’s: one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister.
b. Dictionary of Biblical Languages: servant, one who serves, without necessarily having the office of deacon (like Phebe; Rom. 16:1)
c. This term is different from doulos, which emphasizes an abject slavery. Diakonos is also a servant, but emphasis the ministry performed.
d. It is the term for the church officer: a deacon… which implies a servant of the Body.
2. We too are ministers of the gospel… ambassadors for Christ… to us has been committed the ministry of reconciliation… we have been given the gospel message to share with others. Are we faithful in that charge?
Paul, a Minister of the Church
A. A Minister of the Church
1. Col. 1:1 – Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ… and this was God’s will… thus establishing his authority…
a. His authority was being undermined by the implications of the false teachers.
b. He is an apostle of Christ – a “sent one,” sent TO the church.
2. He is also a minister of the church… one sent to serve the Body of Christ.
a. Paul does not use the term here in the sense of a church officer, a deacon.
b. The term is often used in a generic, not a specialized sense… such as Phebe who is also called a servant.
c. One of the ways in which Paul served the church was through his suffering FOR them…
d. Paul was willing to take his turn in line to suffer for Christ… suffering because he was bringing the gospel to the gentiles… which thing the Jews hated.
e. Paul was a minister of the church in that he was called and given revelation concerning the distinct nature of the church, how it functions, its purpose, its glory, and its final consummation. This he was to deliver to the churches.
f. He was a servant of God to the churches.
B. According to the Dispensation of God
1. Dispensation: stewardship.
a. Oikonomia: from “house” + “manage”
b. Defined: the management of a household or of household affairs.
c. Stewards were managers of large household estates; they were often slaves or freedmen of high status.
d. Joseph was a high ranking slave, the steward of Potiphar’s house. He was given the responsibility over Potiphar’s goods… he was to manage the affairs of his household, and was trusted to be faithful to that task.
e. Being a minister to the church was Paul’s calling; his stewardship. God entrusted to Paul a special privilege of ministry to the Body of Christ.
2. Consider HOW the Lord called this man.
a. Becoming a minister to the Christian church was not something Paul/Saul wanted to be ever since he was a little boy. Hardly!
b. This was not something he had been planning and preparing for.
c. His goal was to “make it” as part of Israel’s religious upper crust… and he was well on his way toward fulfilling that goal. (Gal. 1:14)
d. As a loyal Jew, he hated Christ and Christians.
• Acts 9:1-2 – threatening and slaughtering them.
• Acts 22:4 – he persecuted believers to death.
• Acts 26:9-11 – he went to great lengths to harm if not annihilate the churches of Christ.
e. Nobody could ever say that Saul’s ambition in life was to become a minister of the Body of Christ.
f. Acts 9:3-6 – Saul was on a rampage to wipe out the church if he could.
• It was then that he met Jesus Christ…
• He trusted in Christ and surrendered his will to Him.
• Suddenly that zeal that had been bent on destroying the name of Christ was transformed and now used of the Lord to magnify the name of Christ!
• Vs. 15-16 – God CHOSE Saul to be His vessel
• His charge: to bear the name of Christ wherever he went… through his life, ministry, and message.
• And he would suffer MANY things in carrying out that stewardship.
• Paul knew up front that his call… his stewardship involved much suffering for Christ and His body.
• That is Paul’s point in Col. 1:24-25 – he was rejoicing in his sufferings for them… because he was made a minister of the churches of Christ.
3. Paul was a minister of the church, and this was God’s doing. God Himself granted him this dispensation or stewardship.
a. Eph. 3:2 – the dispensation of the grace of God was GIVEN to Paul for the benefit of the church in Ephesus.
• He was a steward of God’s message of grace.
• Oikonomia – Paul was entrusted with the message of the grace of God… that results in salvation.
• He was also entrusted with the message of the grace of God that results in sanctification and spiritual growth.
• This message of grace was GIVEN to Paul for the purpose of delivering it to the gentiles… unto you.
• Paul was called to dispense… or administer the grace of God to Jews and Gentiles.
• This stewardship was GIVEN to him… granted to him from God.
• He didn’t earn it. He wasn’t seeking it. Rather, God chose him to this ministry and GAVE him the privilege of being a steward of these marvelous truths.
b. I Tim. 1:12 – Christ PUT him into the ministry.
• The ministry = diakonia… service…
• It was Christ who put Paul in the diakonia… along the road to Damascus.
• He thanks Christ for the privilege.
• He notes that it was the LORD who enabled him to be fruitful… not he himself. He recognized that he was nothing without the grace of God… and that he had no power of his own to perform this ministry. He required the Lord’s enablement… and received it.
• He thanked God for counting him to be faithful… trustworthy… and even his faithfulness he attributed to the mercy of the Lord.
• I Cor. 7:25 – Paul spoke of himself as “as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.”
• It was the Lord who PUT him into the ministry. Put = set, fix; to establish, ordain.”
c. I Tim. 2:7 – he was ORDAINED a preacher.
• Ordained: same word as in I Tim. 1:12 – set; established; ordained… put in place…
d. II Tim. 1:11 – he was APPOINTED a preacher of the gentiles. (same term)
e. Rom. 15:15-16 – becoming a minister was a “grace gift” given to Saul.
f. Nobody had to twist his arm to become a minister.
g. He wasn’t forced to sit through countless meetings where the speakers urged, pleaded, begged, and yelled at the young men until they shamed some into becoming a minister.
h. Christ spoke to this man on the road to Damascus… and that was the end of it. There was no argument. No arm twisting. No coercing. No pressure.
i. God called and Saul responded: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
j. Acts 26:19 – Paul later said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.”
k. Then God answered and TOLD Saul what He would have him to do. He would preach and suffer… and all for the benefit of the Body of Christ.
4. The ministry to the church was a stewardship Paul was given.
a. Whether he felt like it or not, it was still his stewardship… his responsibility.
b. I Cor. 9:16-17 – there is a reward for willing service; but even if he is not willing, it is still required of him. It is his calling. Stewards don’t have the luxury of serving when they feel like. They are required to serve.
c. I Cor. 4:2 – faithfulness to one’s stewardship is required not requested.
d. Jer. 20:9 – Jeremiah could not stop preaching the Word if he wanted to. It was like a fire burning in his heart.
5. One of the worst things Bible colleges do is to try to convince the young men who attend to become ministers of the gospel.
a. They try to persuade young men to become missionaries or pastors.
b. Well meaning men resort to arm twisting… guilt trips… pressure tactics… trying to get young men to make a quick commitment after an emotional pitch… and leave them with the impression that they are failing God if they become an engineer rather than a missionary…
c. The worst possible scenario for any church is to have a pastor who is in that position because of the persistent persuasion of well meaning, but misguided men… and NOT because he was called of the Lord.
d. I know men in the ministry who should NOT be in the ministry. And this is from their own mouths…
e. I prefer to try to talk young men OUT of going into the ministry. If I can talk them out of it… then I know that the Lord did not call them.
f. I’m convinced that when God puts His hand on a man, wild horses couldn’t keep him away from the ministry.
g. Making known possible areas of ministry is fine and good. But going beyond that, to putting PRESSURE on a young man to accept such a position is not fine.
h. You DON’T want a man in the ministry who doesn’t belong there.
• It will save the flock from wandering without a God-called shepherd.
• It could waste years of that young man’s life… and it could damage the work of God wherever he ends up.
• What could be more frustrating for a young man than trying to function in a way God never designed him to function?
• It’s like putting an eyeball on the side of your head in hopes that it will hear… The eyeball will lead a frustrated life… and the body will suffer loss.
C. The Stewardship Was Given to Paul FOR YOU
1. Paul’s stewardship of the mystery was given to him NOT for his own personal edification, but for the good of the body.
a. I Cor. 14:5,12 – The Corinthians failed in this area. They were zealous for spiritual gifts… but wanted them for their own personal benefit… and they used them at home… but did NOT use them as God intended: for the edification of the whole Body.
b. What could be more selfish…and contrary to God’s purpose?
c. That is why God gives ANY spiritual gift to every believer. (I Cor. 12:7) (to profit withal; for the common good)
2. I Pet. 4:10 – we have ALL been given a gift and that gift is to be used to minister one to another. That means the WHOLE body… all those IN Christ…
a. This includes: Jew and Greek; bond and free; male and female… rich or poor… young or old.
b. If they are in the Body, the church, then we are obligated to use our grace gift to minister to ALL of them.
c. We don’t have the right to say, “I will minister to the rich, but not to the poor.” Nor can we say, “I will minister to the women, but not to the men.” Nor can we say, “I will minister to the young, but not to the old.”
d. Nothing could be more contrary to the purpose and nature of the local church… wherein EVERY member is important!
e. Paul was given a stewardship for the Colossian believers… each and every one of them!
3. We have not been made a steward of the revelation of God as Paul was… but we HAVE been given a grace gift to be used for the edification of the Body… to minister one to another.
a. Have we been faithful? Are we ministering to the Body… ALL of the Body… not just a select group?
b. Are we using our spiritual gifts to function in the Body as God designed… or are we using our spiritual gifts in our closet… at home… just for me, myself, and mine?
c. Perhaps its time to look beyond yourself… beyond your own family… and begin to minister to OTHERS… that is called Christlikeness… godliness.
d. If you are not functioning in the Body as God designed you to do… and equipped you to do… then you are NOT fulfilling your God-given reason for being.
e. We have a stewardship… a responsibility to function in the Body. And if one member is not functioning in the Body… then the whole Body suffers.
f. Don’t YOU be responsible for causing the Body to suffer!
g. You be responsible to build UP the Body… edify the Body…
h. Paul said that he was made a minister “for His Body’s sake.” The PURPOSE of YOUR spiritual gifts is the same: for His Body’s sake… which is the church.
D. To Fulfill the Word of God
1. Fulfill: make full, to fill up, i.e., to fill to the full. 1a to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; to complete. 2a to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.
2. Fulfill the word of God = to preach the Word of God fully.
a. Preaching the Word FULLY…
• To preach the WHOLE counsel of God…
• Acts 20:27 – he desired to preach the WHOLE counsel of God and considered that his ministry was not fulfilled until he did so.
• To leave no truth out…
• To preach the word of God in its entirety…
• To preach the word of God in a balanced manner: not overemphasizing one aspect of truth and underemphasizing another aspect of truth.
• To preach the WHOLE counsel of God… and the only way to do that is line by line; precept by precept.
• To preach in season and out of season.
• To preach the positive and the negative; the blessings and the cursings.
• To preach the Word and present the emphasis as it appears in the Bible… and not to invent a personal agenda.
• In Bible school I heard a preacher say that he could preach salvation out of any verse in the Bible! The only way one can do that is by twisting the meaning of the text, for salvation does NOT appear in every verse.
• The right way to teach the Bible is to just teach what the Bible says… line by line… and NOT to inject our own wishes and whims.
b. The best way to avoid a personal agenda and to present the emphasis as it appears in the Bible is to teach the Bible verse by verse… line upon line… paragraph by paragraph… and not to ever stop.
c. This way, (if the Word is taught accurately, verse by verse) then the emphasis that emerges is INSPIRED by the Holy Spirit… for He is the Author of the Word and its emphasis.
d. The emphasis that emerges is the one that GOD Himself put into His Word… and not an emphasis that biased men would like to see interjected into the Word.
• Ex: We are going through the book of Proverbs—an extremely practical book.
• I debated whether to teach it topically or verse by verse… and verse by verse won out.
• The reason I hesitated was because certain truths are repeated often in the book… and I didn’t want to sound repetitious.
• As I analyzed that thinking, I was convicted. Who am I to “cut out” truths that are repeated? If God repeated them it must be for a good purpose.
• Some truths NEED to be emphasized and repeated—and that is just what God has done in His holy Word.
e. The emphasis in the Bible is on Christ… and making Christ known in a deeper and deeper way.
f. Christ, the Living Word, cannot be known apart from a slow, steady, gradual, complete, careful exposition of the Written Word… line upon line… precept upon precept.
g. If folks don’t like the emphasis that emerges as you read through the Bible verse by verse, my counsel is to take that up with the author. I’m just an index finger, pointing to what God said.
h. Growth takes TIME… lots of time. As Americans, we want everything QUICK… and God doesn’t work on the American time table.
i. Growth takes time… it takes time to grow in grace and in the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes time to learn the Written Word… line by line… and it takes time to learn about the Living Word… our Lord Jesus Christ… and to let truth really SINK IN. That takes time.
j. We spent four years going through Hebrews. We spent three years in Ezekiel before that. We spent about 2-3 years in I Kings. We spent about a year in Colossians chapter one.
k. Taking the quick approach leads to the teacher picking and choosing which gems he wants to highlight and which truths he doesn’t have time to cover. It is quick and easy, but superficial… and extremely subjective.
l. Taking your time in the Word… going line by line means that over time a pattern will emerge: GOD’S emphasis… This method takes a long time… it is not quick and easy, but it’s time consuming and difficult… but it results in depth… and is extremely objective in its emphasis.
3. Paul was given the stewardship of FULLY preaching the Word of God… the WHOLE counsel of God… exactly as God delivered it… line by line!
a. This included many truths that the Judaizers, Gnostics, and traditionalists of his day did not want to hear.
b. He was called to preach the mystery (vs. 26).
c. He was called to proclaim that the Law was now obsolete as a rule of life.
d. He was called to describe in great detail, the Body of Christ and how it functions in the world today… and how it stood in stark contrast to Israel.
e. And even though he faced opposition to the doctrinal emphasis that God gave him… he kept on going forward… preaching Christ and Him crucified… preaching the message of the cross… and all that was accomplished there.
4. And he fulfilled his ministry! He was a faithful steward.
a. Acts 12:25 – Paul and Barnabus fulfilled their ministry…
b. Acts 20:24 – Paul wanted to finish his course… and the ministry God called him to…
c. II Tim. 4:5-7 – Paul in fact DID fulfill his ministry.
d. He was made a servant of the gospel and a minister of the church… and was faithful to his ministry till his dying day.
e. Paul continued in the faith… grounded and settled… and was never moved away from the hope of the gospel… he preached it and suffered for it the rest of his life…
f. This should be our goal as well…
• Be faithful to our stewardship to the gospel… as ambassadors for Christ… to preach Christ to every creature…
• Be faithful to our stewardship to the local church… as members of the Body of Christ… and members one of another…
• By God’s grace, let us be faithful to OUR dying day!
The Mystery…
Introduction:
1. Paul has just stated that God called him to be a minister of the gospel (vs. 23c) and a minister to the church… the Body of Christ (vs. 25a).
2. This ministry was a stewardship… and Paul felt obligated to be faithful to the stewardship which was committed to his trust.
3. Thus, Paul now states his sense of responsibility to FULFILL the Word of God… by preaching the mystery to the gentiles—a sacred secret now revealed…
The Mystery Defined
1. Mystery: The term: μυστήριον (moo-stay-rion) – hidden thing, a religious secret, a hidden purpose or counsel.
a. The term does NOT mean something eerie or mysterious… or something hard to understand.
b. It refers to truth which, without divine revelation could NEVER be discovered or known by man.
c. In the Old Testament, no one knew about the church. Neither Adam, David, Moses or anyone in the Old Testament knew… and it was not because they were not discerning men or unspiritual.
d. It was because they COULD NOT have known it until God revealed it!
e. A mystery was a secret hidden away in the mind and heart of God. Hence, it was no secret to God… just to men and angels!
2. Basically, the mystery here is previously unrevealed truth about the Church… the Body of Christ…
a. It speaks of the believer’s UNION with Christ IN His Body…
b. This was known to God before the foundation of the world—for He chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world! (Eph. 1:4)
c. It speaks of a new relationship to Christ… risen and seated with Him in heavenly places…
d. As a Branch and Vine; Head and Body; Building and its divine Inhabitant; Bride and Bridegroom;
e. The end of the self life and the beginning of Christ in you… the hope of glory. (Col. 1:27)
f. That is the riches of the glory of this mystery!
g. Paul was excited to preach the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles…
3. The KEY element to this mystery is the fact that Jews and Gentiles should be fellowheirs, having been united together in one Body… on equal footing…
a. Eph. 3:4-6 – Here Paul DEFINES what he means by the mystery revealed to him.
• He defines what “mystery” means. (vs. 5)
• He defines the particulars of this mystery: Jew and Gentile united in one body. (vs. 6)
• This was NOT revealed in the Old Testament. The fact that Gentiles would be saved was revealed.
• But the fact that Jew and Gentile would be united into ONE BODY… the spiritual body of Christ as equals was NEVER revealed in the Old Testament! It was a mystery.
b. Gal. 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one IN Christ Jesus.
The Mystery Truth Had Been HIDDEN From Ages
1. Col. 1:26 – truth which had been hidden from ages and generations, but is now revealed.
a. This truth was hidden in the mind and heart of God
b. Hidden: apo-krupto (cryptic…)
• Strong’s: to hide; concealing, keeping secret; covered up; not revealed.
c. To conceal that it is not made known until revealed;
• The term does not mean that this mystery was revealed in the Old Testament, just hidden… and hard to find… or hard to understand.
• It does not mean that this truth was there in the Scriptures… just hard to discern… and one would have to really dig hard to discover it in the Old Testament.
• The verses of the New Testament state clearly that it was hidden in the mind of God and NOT revealed in the Old Testament Scripture.
• No matter how hard one dug… no matter how discerning a man was… no matter how much he studied the Scriptures… he would NEVER discover the truth Paul refers to as the Mystery… because it wasn’t there!
• It wasn’t just hidden from the people. It was hidden (concealed) from the AGES in which they lived! This truth was not revealed in those ages.
• It wasn’t in the Old Testament. It was hidden in the mind and heart of God… UNTIL God chose to reveal it.
d. Our Reformed, Amillennial friends have a different take on this concept.
• John Gerstner, Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth, defines mystery this way: “mystery means something partly unknown.”
• He wrote: “while the details of this mystery undoubtedly the cause of great perplexity, the mystery was not a complete unknown.”
• This simply is not true. He didn’t get those definitions from any lexicon or reliable Bible dictionary.
• He CHANGED the definition of the word in order to fit his theology!
• Paul gives us an INSPIRED definition of mystery:
» Truth which was kept secret since the world began! (Rom. 16:25)
» Truth which was hidden from ages and from generations! (Col. 1:26)
» Truth which was “not made known to the sons of men.” (Eph. 3:5)
• It is inaccurate to say that this mystery was partially known when Paul wrote that it was NOT made known… that it was kept secret!
• It is inaccurate to say that a mystery is something hard to grasp. That is not what the term means.
• Actually, this truth is quite simple… once it was revealed.
• But before it was revealed, it is not only perplexing or hard to understand; it was IMPOSSIBLE to understand!
2. Eph. 3:3-5 – truth which was made known by means of Divine revelation (vs. 3)… which in other ages was not made known… but it is NOW revealed…
a. This mystery truth was NOT made known in other ages.
b. Nobody in those other ages… in Old Testament times… knew. It was not made known to them… not the whole, not even a part.
c. It was not because Old Testament saints were undiscerning. Nor was it because they lacked skills in Bible interpretation.
d. They didn’t know because God didn’t reveal it!
e. It was not made known to ANYONE in those days. It was a sacred secret… known only to God.
f. As godly and discerning as Moses was… and David… and Jeremiah and Isaiah, none of them knew this secret. It was not made known to ANY in that age.
3. Rom. 16:25-26 – truth which was kept secret since the world began.
a. Secret: to keep silence, hold one’s peace; to be kept in silence, be concealed.
• Perfect passive participle
• It was concealed and kept silent at some point in the past, and REMAINED concealed… until it was revealed… in the apostolic days.
b. This truth was kept silent by God since the world began.
• God knew about it even BEFORE the world began.
• It was part of His eternal purpose to manifest His Son through a spiritual body of believers.
• It was a secret kept by God. Not even the angels knew.
• God kept this secret in the past and it remained a secret until GOD chose to reveal it to His New Testament apostles and prophets.
• Eph. 3:5 states that in all those ages mentioned in the Old Testament… it was a secret… not made known to the sons of men. (sons of men = mankind in general)
The Mystery Truth Is Now Revealed
1. Col. 1:26 – It was hidden BUT is now made manifest.
2. Made manifest: phanerow: to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown; disclosed; displayed; revealed.
a. It was a secret, but it is a secret no more.
b. Once God revealed this truth, it was no longer a mystery. It is clearly revealed for all to read in His Word.
c. God took the cover off this mystery for the entire world to see… it was made public… made known…
d. We speak of this as the “mystery” because that is the term the New Testament uses. However, we need to understand, that it is no longer a mystery. It has been revealed! It’s not a secret any more! Or at least it shouldn’t be!
3. NOW = Paul states that this truth which had been hidden from past ages is NOW made manifest.
a. NOW tells us WHEN it was finally revealed: NOW… at the time Paul was writing his epistles… in the first century.
b. Nobody in ages past knew these truths, but NOW… in the present age… God wants His saints to know.
c. God revealed it because it is essential that we know about this mystery.
d. It was a secret and remained a secret until NOW… which refers to the time of Paul’s writings… in the early days of the church.
e. This term adds a clear line of demarcation between the past ages and the present age… the past ages in which the mystery was concealed… and the present age in which the mystery is revealed.
4. To His saints: God revealed this mystery truth to His saints.
a. The gospel is for the whole world.
• Eph. 6:19 – now there are aspects of mystery truth… church truth which are to be included in the gospel presentation… (a message for Jew and Gentile!)
• The preaching of the gospel today is a revelation of the fact that the Old Testament economy is no longer operative, but it obsolete.
• Gospel preaching is not to END with John 3:16. It only BEGINS there.
• Once saved, the believer is to be taught… discipled…
b. The deep things of the mystery are for the saints.
• The world isn’t interested in such details of divine revelation.
• To teach the mystery truths to the unsaved would be like casting pearls before swine—as Jesus put it.
• They are not born again… not alive unto God. Hence, these precious truths will be meaningless to them.
• They will not be understood or appreciated by the world.
• In fact, these precious truths will not be understood or appreciated by untaught or immature believers either!
» The wonderful secret – that we are positioned in Christ and He is in us… is the essence of Christianity and the basis for a victorious walk.
» However, some believers today balk at such teaching. They see it as a waste of time.
» They would rather be yelled at… and given a list of do’s and don’ts… outward conformity to a set of man made standards and rules.
• These deep things are actually for ALL the saints… but only Spirit filled saints… the saintly saints… those who are walking worthy… only they will appreciate these gems.
5. Rom. 16:25-26 – it was kept secret, BUT NOW is made manifest!
a. Same terms as in Colossians.
b. But Paul adds here the MEANS of making it known: through the Scriptures.
c. The New Testament apostles and prophets were given revelation from God… and they recorded that revelation for us in the Scripture… under divine inspiration.
d. Thus, in the New Testament epistles, we have the word of God FULLY taught… fully revealed… we have the whole mystery revealed for us… for all the New Testament saints…
6. These marvelous truths are right here under our noses… for our learning… that we might learn of Christ… and grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ… and be transformed into His image… from glory to glory.
a. Some saints will feast on these marvelous truths… like Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus…
b. Other saints will have a superficial understanding of them… don’t give it time to sink in… and because there is not much DEPTH of understanding, they will not value them…
c. Instead, they will desire to be busy DOING something… like Martha… who thought Mary was just wasting her time sitting around communing with Jesus… when there was work to be done.
• Mary was reveling in her position… seated with Jesus where He was… communing with Him.
• Martha was unraveling in her condition… busy doing this and that… so that she didn’t have time to be seated with Christ… or to abide in His presence.
• Martha didn’t understand that before one can ever properly SERVE the Lord and DO His will… it is necessary to first ABIDE in Christ… and learn of Him.
d. As Christians, being IN Christ IS our position… we are In Him and thus seated with Him in the heavenlies. (Eph. 2:6)
• And this is what the apostle Paul emphasizes in all of his epistles BEFORE he ever tells us what to do.
• FIRST he seats us down in our heavenly position at the feet of Jesus… for a long time of communion with Him… reveling in our position in Christ…
• When our heart is thrilled… stirred by His holiness… in awe of His grace… in love with His Person… humbled by the knowledge of our privileges as sons… THEN we are equipped to serve the Lord with gladness… and carry out His will in true delight. THEN we find JOY in serving Jesus… not drudgery!
• But first must come that time of reveling in our position… seated with Christ… abiding in His presence.
• When the branch abides in its position in the Vine THEN and then only does it bear fruit… like Mary.
• Mary wasn’t trying to get out of doing any work or sharing the burden with Martha… but for Mary, it was first things first.
• Mary… like a branch abiding on the Vine… was seated with Jesus… and was filled with His presence.
• Once FILLED with Him… she too would go forth and be just as busy serving Him as Martha… only her service would not be the nervous energy of the flesh… but the result of Spirit filling… a heart stirred to serve… and that service is not sheer business. It is a delight… a JOY in serving Jesus.
• The branch that is busy trying to produce fruit on its own… like Martha… is frustrated, barren, bitter, judgmental, and burnt out.
• Abiding in our position comes before bearing any real fruit.
• All efforts to produce fruit on our own… by ignoring this necessary time abiding in our position at the feet of Christ is truly wasted time: wood, hay, and stubble.
• But the heart that is TRULY caught up with Jesus Christ… thrilled with His presence… abiding in Him… will go forth energized to serve… as Paul did.
• The story of Mary and Martha is not the contrast between serving vs. sitting. (As if it were either/or!)
• It is a contrast between service that is sourced in the flesh… vs. service that arises out a relationship to Christ!
e. Now that this marvelous mystery truth has been revealed for the saints… God expects that we spend time letting it sink in; meditating on it; reveling in it; enjoying it; saturating our minds and hearts in it.
• And while some might complain that it is a waste of time… God says that the end result of such abiding is genuine fruit.
• Fruit for God’s glory is NEVER a waste of time. It TAKES time to be real fruit, but it is time well spent.
• When this truth really sinks in, it becomes life dominating. Christ is all in all.
• And it doesn’t just sink in with a superficial reading… it takes TIME… time spent at Jesus’ feet.
• Time spent BEHOLDING the glory of our Lord Jesus… and that always results in a transformed life. (II Cor. 3:18)
• While some will try to hurry this process along… hoping to experience growth from glory to glory WITHOUT spending time reveling in our position… abiding in Christ… they will be frustrated and fruitless in the end… for Jesus said, “Without Me ye can do nothing.”
• This kind of transformed life does not come overnight. Spiritual growth takes a lifetime.
7. Eph. 3:5 – As it is now revealed.
a. Revealed: apokalupto: to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up; disclose, make bare; to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown.
b. The mystery formerly… in ages past was not made known to the sons of men, but now it has been revealed.
c. WHEN was it revealed?
• Now… during the days of the early church.
d. TO WHOM was it revealed?
• To the holy apostles and New Testament prophets.
• This also tells us WHEN… during the days of the New Testament apostles… there were no apostles in the Old Testament.
e. HOW was it revealed?
• By the Spirit… through divine revelation… truth that could not otherwise be known…
• The Spirit moved the apostles to record this revelation.
• The apostles and New Testament prophets recorded this truth in the Scriptures… for us all.
f. The mystery was brand new revelation at the time of the writing of this epistle.
• It was completely new and different from the Old Testament, Jewish economy based on legalism.
• No wonder Paul—who was so caught up and thrilled with this new revelation—was also so appalled at saints who seemed inclined to revert BACKWARDS to the Old Testament legalism… “touch not, taste not, handle not…” (Col. 2:21).
• They would never grow into the image of Christ that way!
• They would miss out on experiencing the blessings that are ours in Christ… the privilege we have of abiding in Him… learning of Him…
• And they would miss out on the power of the resurrection in their lives… power for living that is only available to believers who reckon themselves to be dead to sin and self… alive unto God… and are resting in Christ…
Fulfill the Word of God (vs. 25c)
1. Fulfill: make full, to fill up, i.e., to fill to the full. 1a to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; to complete. 2a to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.
2. Fulfill the word of God = to preach the Word of God fully.
a. Preaching the Word FULLY…
• To preach the WHOLE counsel of God…
• Acts 20:27 – he desired to preach the WHOLE counsel of God and considered that his ministry was not fulfilled until he did so.
• To leave no truth out…
• To preach the word of God in its entirety…
• To preach the word of God in a balanced manner: not overemphasizing one aspect of truth and underemphasizing another aspect of truth.
• To preach the WHOLE counsel of God… and the only way to do that is line by line; precept by precept.
• To preach in season and out of season.
• To preach the positive and the negative; the blessings and the cursings.
• To preach the Word and present the emphasis as it appears in the Bible… and not to invent a personal agenda.
• In Bible school I heard a preacher say that he could preach salvation out of any verse in the Bible! The only way one can do that is by twisting the meaning of the text, for salvation does NOT appear in every verse.
• The right way to teach the Bible is to just teach what the Bible says… line by line… and NOT to inject our own wishes and whims.
b. The best way to avoid a personal agenda and to present the emphasis as it appears in the Bible is to teach the Bible verse by verse… line upon line… paragraph by paragraph… and not to ever stop.
c. This way, (if the Word is taught accurately, verse by verse) then the emphasis that emerges over time is INSPIRED by the Holy Spirit… for He is the Author of the Word and its emphasis.
d. When you FULLY preach the Word—line upon line – the emphasis that emerges is the one that GOD Himself put into His Word… and not an emphasis that biased men would like to see interjected into the Word.
• Example: On Wednesday nights, we are going through the book of Proverbs—an extremely practical book.
• I debated whether to teach it topically or verse by verse… and verse by verse won out.
• The reason I hesitated was because many truths are repeated often in the book… and I didn’t want to sound repetitious.
• As I analyzed that thinking, I was convicted. Who am I to “cut out” truths that are repeated? If God repeated them it must be for a good purpose.
• Some truths NEED to be emphasized and repeated—and that is just what God has done in His holy Word.
e. The emphasis in the Bible is on CHRIST… and making Christ known in a deeper and deeper way.
f. Christ, the Living Word, cannot be known apart from a slow, steady, gradual, complete, careful exposition of the Written Word… line upon line… precept upon precept… by FULLY preaching the Word.
g. If folks don’t like the emphasis that emerges as one reads through the Bible verse by verse, my counsel is to take that up with the author. I’m just an index finger, pointing to what God said.
h. To fully preach the Word, the index finger must point to verse after verse… line upon line… year after year.
i. Growth takes TIME… lots of time. As Americans, we want everything QUICK… and God doesn’t work on the American time table.
j. Growth takes time… teaching takes time… it takes time to grow in grace and in the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes time to learn the Written Word… line by line… and it takes time to learn about the Living Word… our Lord Jesus Christ… and to let truth really SINK IN. That takes time.
k. We spent four years going through Hebrews. We spent three years in Ezekiel before that. We spent about 2-3 years in I Kings. We spent about a year in Colossians chapter one.
l. Taking the quick approach leads to the teacher picking and choosing which gems he wants to highlight and which truths he doesn’t have time to cover. It is quick and easy, but extremely superficial and subjective.
m. Taking your time in the Word… going line by line means that over time a pattern will emerge: GOD’S emphasis… This method takes a long time… it is not quick and easy, but it time consuming and difficult…
n. But it results in spiritual depth… and is extremely objective in its emphasis.
3. Paul was given the stewardship of FULLY preaching the Word of God… the WHOLE counsel of God… exactly as God delivered it… line by line!
a. This included many truths that the Judaizers, Gnostics, and traditionalists of his day did not want to hear.
b. He was called to preach the mystery (vs. 26)
c. He was called to proclaim that the Law was now obsolete as a rule of life. (2:20-21)
d. He was called to describe in great detail, the Body of Christ and how it functions in the world today… and how it stood in stark contrast to Israel.
e. And even though he faced opposition to the doctrinal emphasis that God gave him… he kept on going forward… preaching Christ and Him crucified… preaching the message of the cross… and all that was accomplished there.
4. And he fulfilled his ministry! He was a faithful steward.
a. Acts 20:24 – Paul wanted to finish his course… and the ministry God called him to…
b. II Tim. 4:5-7 – Paul in fact DID fulfill his ministry.
c. He was made a servant of the gospel and a minister of the church… he fully preached the Word and was faithful to his ministry till his dying day. That’s my goal in life.
d. Paul continued in the faith… grounded and settled… and was never moved away from the hope of the gospel… he preached it and suffered for it the rest of his life…
e. This should be our goal as well…
• Be faithful to our stewardship to the gospel… as ambassadors for Christ… to preach Christ to every creature…
• Be faithful to our stewardship to the local church… as members of the Body of Christ… and members one of another…
• By God’s grace, let us be faithful to OUR dying day!
5. Fully preaching the Word meant teaching the mystery. (vs. 26a)
a. Note how Paul links the “Word” with the “Mystery.”
b. The word “even” was added by the translators… but it does seem to make the proper point… that the particular ASPECT of the fully preaching the Word involved teaching the mystery.
c. His point is that to be faithful to his stewardship… to fully preach the whole counsel of God… requires that he teach and preach the Mystery.
d. And he seems to hint that he not only teach the Mystery… but that he EMPHASIZE the mystery… for this is NEW revelation given by God to Paul… a message the Gentiles NEED to hear.
e. When the mystery is not taught and emphasized, then the teacher is not fulfilling the Word of God… he is not fulfilling his stewardship.
f. I Cor. 4:1 – Paul saw himself as a steward of the mysteries of God.
• He felt obligated and responsible to preach this truth and to be a faithful steward of it.
• It was because of his faithfulness to this stewardship in preaching this truth that he suffered so!
• This mystery was so contrary to Judaism and the Mosaic system that the Jews sought to kill this man.
• But NOTHING could shake Paul from being faithful to this ministry. (Acts 20:24) Paul did not count his life dear… he was determined to finish his course and fulfill his God-given ministry.
• He was so DRIVEN by this marvelous revelation, that he risked his life and welfare in order to FULLY preach it…
Christ in You
A New Relationship to Christ
A. You in Christ
1. Eph.3:6 – Jew and Gentile… of the same body in Christ…
2. Eph. 1:4 – chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
3. Eph. 1:3 – blessed… in Christ.
4. Eph. 2:6 – raised and seated together in heavenly places in Christ.
5. Eph. 2:10 – created in Christ Jesus.
6. Rom. 12:5 – one Body in Christ.
7. I Cor. 1:2 – sanctified in Christ.
8. I Cor. 1:30 – But of him are ye in Christ Jesus.
9. II Cor. 2:14 – triumph in Christ.
10. II Cor. 5:17 – we are new creatures in Christ.
11. Phil. 1:1 – all the saints in Christ … at Philippi.
12. Phil. 3:14 – the high calling of God in Christ.
13. Phil. 4:21 – salute every saint in Christ.
14. Col. 1:28 – presenting every man perfect in Christ.
15. Gal. 3:28 – Jew/Gentile; male/female; bond/free—are all one in Christ—on equal footing; no distinctions…
16. The mystery is a revelation of this never-before-revealed truth: that we are all ONE in Christ Jesus… the BODY of Christ… the church!
B. Christ in You
1. This is the specific CONTENT of the mystery in Col. 1:27.
a. Elsewhere, other aspects of this mystery are emphasized.
b. Eph. 3:6 – that Jews and Gentiles should be part of the same body on equal footing.
c. I Cor. 15:51-52–rapture (Behold I show you a mystery).
d. I Tim. 3:16 – the mystery of godliness… Christ manifested through His Body… indwelling life and power…
e. In Col. 1:27, the unique aspect of the mystery is the indwelling Christ. In fact, this is the riches of the GLORY of the mystery! CHRIST IN YOU!
2. Col. 3:11 – Christ is… IN all (all the members of His Body).
3. John 6:56 – dwelleth in Me and I in him.
4. John 14:20 – ye in me, and I in you.
5. John 14:23 – we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
6. John 15:4 – abide in Me and I in you
7. John 17:23,26 – I in them…
8. Rom. 8:10 – if Christ be in you…
9. Gal. 2:20 – Christ liveth in me
10. II Cor. 6:16 – I will dwell in them…
11. II Cor. 13:5 – Christ is in you.
12. Gal. 4:19 – until Christ be formed in you
a. He dwells in us.
b. The world cannot see the Christ they rejected today. But they can see Him through His Body… as we function together in harmony in the power of the Spirit…
c. His LIFE is in us.
d. His character is being formed in us.
e. Christ’s resurrection LIFE is being manifested through our mortal bodies.
f. This is not a minor issue in the NEW TESTAMENT.
g. It is the very essence of Christianity!
The Riches of the Glory of the Mystery
A. The Riches of the Glory
1. Definitions:
a. Glory: divine effulgence or blazing splendor.
b. Riches: ploutos: riches, wealth; abundance of external possessions; fullness, abundance, plenitude.
2. The riches of the glory of the mystery speak of the dazzling splendor of the truth Paul has revealed.
a. It is glorious beyond our ability to describe.
b. Then the “riches” of that glory would be riches, best part of it… the cream of the crop… the most dazzling portion of that blazing splendor!
3. The richest part of this glorious truth is Christ in you!
a. This mystery had MANY different facets… all revolving around the believers’ new relationship to Christ.
b. Head of Body; Bride and Bridegroom; Building and Inhabitant; Vine and branches; Jew and Gentile on equal footing; no distinctions in Christ; the rapture; new means of godliness — all of these aspects of the mystery are glorious. Everything about the mystery is glorious.
c. But the RICHEST part of this glorious mystery is the fact that Christ dwells in us… in ME! And you! And in every single true believer, bar none!
d. And think of WHO HE IS!
• 1:14 – the Redeemer.
• 1:15 – the image of the invisible God!
• 1:16 – the Creator of the universe.
• 1:17 – the One who holds all things together.
• 1:18 – the Risen and Glorified Head of the Body.
• 1:18 – the One who is to have preeminence in all.
• 1:19 – the One in whom all fullness dwells.
• 1:20 – The One who has reconciled heaven and earth.
• This One lives in me! This is the riches of the glory of the mystery!
e. Of all the aspects of truth related to the mystery, this is the cream of the crop: Christ dwells in us!
f. As Jesus said, Ye in Me and I in you!
4. Christ in you means the cup is being cleaned from the inside out, rather than the way of religion.
a. Religion attempts to clean the cup from the outside in… but is unable to clean the inside, and thus settles for cleaning the outside.
b. That is mere external conformity… a whitewash… that never gets to the heart of the matter…
c. Religion might leave a sinner “looking pretty good”… perhaps he looks even better than a believer—Mother Theresa. (Have not we cast out demons and done many wonderful works in thy name?)
d. But religion leaves the inside of the cup filthy… and condemned. It cleans the outside of the grave, but inside it is full of dead men’s bones.
e. Christianity is completely different. It places CHRIST IN US… at the moment of saving faith.
f. And that guarantees a gradual change… from the inside out. Christ is being FORMED in us… slowly, gradually, from glory to glory… but SURELY!
g. He who hath begun a good work in you WILL PERFORM it until the day of Jesus Christ!
h. And when changes occur on the outside… those changes are examples of REAL FRUIT… not manufactured fruit… not the works of the flesh… but they are the work of the Spirit of God… producing Christlike character in us… which eventually will manifest itself on the outside!
i. External changes in behavior that DO not arise from Christ on the inside are easy and can take place rapidly… but they are the works of religious flesh. And the flesh glories in such external changes.
j. External changes that occur as a result of Christ being formed in us take time… but the end product is GENUINE fruit… not the phony fruit of the flesh, but the real thing.
k. Religion offers one method of producing external change… and it is the work of the flesh and it glorifies the flesh.
l. Christianity results in external changes in behavior, which emanate from the Spirit of God producing Christlikness in us… and that glorifies God.
m. The changes may LOOK the same to the natural eye… (a man stops smoking) but God sees more than the natural eye sees. He sees the SOURCE of the change (flesh/Spirit) and He can tell the difference between genuine fruit and phony fruit; and He is concerned about WHO gets the glory: self or Himself.
n. These are huge issues to God and should not be overlooked. God is not only concerned about His child changing his behavior, but He is equally concerned about HOW that change occurs… methodology and motive.
o. Is it a spiritual victory if you stopped smoking because you went to a hypnotist? Is it really a spiritual victory if you conquer your anxiety with a prescription?
5. The riches of the glory of the mystery is Christ in you… and that always results in genuine Holy Spirit produced fruit… a spiritual transformation into His image… a cleansing of the cup from the inside out… for which God gets all the glory…
B. God Would Make Known this Mystery
1. Would = thelo = wills; desires; desired with intent; resolved;
a. This indicates that revealing this mystery was not just something that God WOULD do (if He had to…).
b. It indicates that God DESIRED to reveal it; it was His will; His good pleasure; His delight!
c. He “willed” to reveal it. It was part of His determinate counsel and will…
d. It was eternally part of God’s will to do so… part of His eternal plan… just waiting for the right time in history.
e. It was God’s purpose and will to conceal this mystery in ages past. It is now God’s purpose and will to reveal this mystery in this age… the age of grace.
2. A Mystery Hidden from Ages But Now Made Known
a. God chose to conceal this truth in ages past… and with good reason.
b. The cross changed everything. After the cross, there was no reason to conceal this truth any longer.
c. Consider Christ’s offer of the Kingdom to Israel.
• Matt. 4:17 – John and Jesus both preached that the Kingdom was at hand.
• IF Israel repented, the kingdom would have been established…
• But that poses a problem: how can you have an eternal kingdom of righteousness with no cross? You can’t!
• But if God had revealed that the church age was going to begin on the Day of Pentecost, then how could Christ have possibly offered an eternal Kingdom to Israel? How could His offer have been legitimate?
• If the church age had been revealed, then Christ could never have offered the Kingdom to Israel… and if He didn’t offer Himself as Messiah King, then Israel would not have crucified Him… and we would have no cross… no salvation… no church OR Kingdom!
• The fact that the church was kept secret enabled Christ to present a LEGITIMATE offer of the Kingdom to Israel… God in His Sovereignty knowing all along that Israel would reject the offer…
• Thus, when Israel rejected the offer of the Kingdom, God was not left to scramble to hastily formulate a plan B.
• Rather, He had this planned since before the foundation of the world! He knew exactly what He would do… He kept it secret and concealed from men… until AFTER the offer was made… until AFTER Christ was crucified and ascended…
C. Made Known Among the Gentiles
1. Previously, God’s revelation was sent only to the Jews. (Rom. 3:1-2)
2. The Gentiles were outside of God’s plan and had no share in Israel’s covenants. (Eph. 2:12-13)
a. Gentiles were outside of God’s family, but are now part of the household of God.
b. Gentiles had been cut off from God’s program of blessing but now have been grafted in!
c. Gentiles who had been considered dogs by the Jews are now on equal footing with the Jews.
d. Gentiles who lived in ignorance and spiritual death for centuries, now can share the light and LIFE of Christ!
e. Gentiles, who had no hope in the world, now have the hope of glory in Christ.
f. Gentiles, who were without God, now have Christ dwelling in them!
3. Gentiles, so despised by the Jews in ages past, are now not only on equal footing with the Jews, but in addition, the Jewish Messiah now dwells in Gentiles!
a. There is no way that this truth could have the same effect on us that it had in the first century. We are so accustomed to Christianity…
b. But this was truly revolutionary concept in the first century… outside the box… unheard of… radically different from the norm of that day… unimaginable!
c. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile in Christ…
4. This truth was not revealed to the early church in Jerusalem, when the church was virtually all Jewish.
a. God awaited a time when the churches were primarily Gentile before revealing this truth.
b. Only in a Gentile church would the true value of this truth be appreciated!
c. Thus, it was Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles who takes the lead in revealing this truth.
d. To the Gentiles, this was the richest part of the mystery… GENTILES are included!
e. And they don’t have to give up their culture and become Jews. God accepts Gentiles as Gentiles… and places them in Christ! There is no difference!
The Hope of Glory
1. We were “without Christ, and having no hope” (Eph. 2:12). Now we Gentiles have Christ in us and we thus have the hope of future glory!
2. The indwelling Christ is a present experience that is similar to future glory… a foretaste of glory divine.
3. His presence in us is like an anchor, which connects us to the very heavenlies… within the veil… in the heavenly holy of holies.
4. Because of this unique relationship to Christ, believers will one day share in His glory.
a. Col. 3:4 – when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we appear with Him in glory.
b. Rom. 5:2 – because of Christ we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
c. Rom. 8:18 – the glory that shall be revealed in us…
5. Christ’s presence in us (Christ in you) is hope of future glory.
a. His indwelling presence is not seen or felt… but the EFFECT of His indwelling presence IS seen…
b. His LIFE is manifested in our mortal bodies as we walk by faith.
c. Every time a bit of His character is manifested in us, that is more hope of future glory… His love, holiness, purity, grace, power, etc…
d. It all points to the fact that Christ truly IS in me… and I shall one day be with Him in glory!
e. This breeds more assurance… and LOVE for the Lord… and gratitude… and motivation to live for His glory.
f. The glory we are now hoping for with confident expectation is coming in that future day when we are actually WITH Christ in glory.
g. Our position is IN Christ… IN glory… in heavenly places.
h. One day our condition will match that position… and we will actually BE there in body, soul, and spirit!
i. Until that day, Christ dwells in us… and His presence is a foretaste of that future glory… and a motivation to honor Him with our all… to put our all on the altar…
Fulfilling the Word of God (vs. 25c)
1. Fulfill the word of God = to FULLY preach the Word of God.
a. To preach the WHOLE counsel of God…
b. To leave no truth out… the Word in its entirety…
c. To preach the word of God as it was revealed by God… line by line… precept upon precept… book by book…
d. To preach the Word in a balanced manner: not overemphasizing one aspect of truth and underemphasizing another aspect of truth… the WHOLE counsel of God—as it appears in the Word.
e. To preach the positive and the negative; blessings and cursing.
f. Teaching God’s Word line by line is HOW we fully preach the Word today.
g. The best way to avoid a personal agenda and to present the emphasis as it appears in the Bible is to teach the Bible verse by verse… line upon line… paragraph by paragraph… and not to ever stop.
h. This way, (if the Word is taught accurately, verse by verse) then the emphasis that emerges over time is INSPIRED by the Holy Spirit… for He is the Author of the Word and its emphasis.
i. When you FULLY preach the Word—line upon line – the emphasis that emerges is the one that GOD Himself put into His Word… and not an emphasis that biased men would like to see interjected into the Word.
• Ex: On Wednesday nights, we are going through the book of Proverbs—an extremely practical book.
• I debated whether to teach it topically or verse by verse… and verse by verse won out.
• The reason I hesitated was because many truths are repeated often in the book… and I didn’t want to sound repetitious.
• As I analyzed that thinking, I was convicted. Who am I to “cut out” truths that are repeated? If God repeated them it must be for a good purpose.
• Some truths NEED to be emphasized and repeated—and that is just what God has done in His holy Word.
j. The emphasis in the Bible is on CHRIST… and making Christ known in a deeper and deeper way.
k. Christ, the Living Word, cannot be known apart from a slow, steady, gradual, complete, careful exposition of the Written Word… line upon line… precept upon precept… by FULLY preaching the Word.
l. If folks don’t like the emphasis that emerges as one reads through the Bible verse by verse, my counsel is to take that up with the author. I’m just an index finger, pointing to what God said.
m. To fully preach the Word, the index finger must point to verse after verse… line upon line… year after year.
n. Growth takes TIME… lots of time. As Americans, we want everything QUICK… and God doesn’t work on the American time table.
o. Growth takes time… teaching takes time… it takes time to grow in grace and in the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes time to learn the Written Word… line by line… and it takes time to learn about the Living Word… our Lord Jesus Christ… and to let truth really SINK IN. That takes time.
p. We spent four years going through Hebrews. We spent three years in Ezekiel before that. We spent about 2-3 years in I Kings. We spent about a year in Colossians chapter one.
q. Taking the quick approach leads to the teacher picking and choosing which gems he wants to highlight and which truths he doesn’t have time to cover. It is quick and easy, but extremely superficial and subjective.
r. Taking your time in the Word… going line by line means that over time a pattern will emerge: GOD’S emphasis… This method takes a long time… it is not quick and easy, but it time consuming and difficult…
s. But it results in spiritual depth… and is extremely objective in its emphasis.
2. Paul was called of God to FULFILL the Word of God by preaching the MYSTERY truth.
a. The word of God would not be complete without this special, unique revelation of the mystery: We in Christ, and He in us.
b. As William Kelly wrote, even if Paul were not the last Bible author to write, when he revealed this truth, it could be said that the Word of God was fulfilled… the secret is no longer concealed.
c. Paul completed the Word of God by revealing this marvelous truth about the mystery.
3. Paul was given the stewardship of FULLY preaching the Word of God… the WHOLE counsel of God… exactly as God delivered it… line by line!
a. This included many truths that the Judaizers, Gnostics, and traditionalists of his day did not want to hear.
b. He was called to preach the mystery. (vs.26)
c. He was called to proclaim that the Law was now obsolete as a rule of life. (2:20-21)
d. He was called to describe in great detail, the Body of Christ and how it functions in the world today… and how it stood in stark contrast to Israel.
e. And even though he faced opposition to the doctrinal emphasis that God gave him… he kept on going forward… preaching Christ and Him crucified… preaching the message of the cross… and all that was accomplished there. And he fulfilled his ministry! He was a faithful steward.
• Acts 20:24 – Paul wanted to finish his course… and the ministry God called him to…
• II Tim. 4:5-7 – Paul in fact DID fulfill his ministry.
4. Fully preaching the Word meant teaching the mystery. (vs. 26a)
a. Note how Paul links the “Word” with the “Mystery.”
b. His point is that to be faithful to his stewardship… to fully preach the whole counsel of God… REQUIRES that he teach and preach the Mystery.
c. And he seems to hint that he not only teach the Mystery… but that he EMPHASIZE the mystery… for this is NEW revelation given by God to Paul… a message the Gentiles NEED to hear.
d. When the mystery is not taught and emphasized, then the teacher is not fulfilling the Word of God… he is not fulfilling his stewardship.
e. I Cor. 4:1 – Paul saw himself as a steward of the mysteries of God.
• He felt obligated and responsible to preach this truth and to be a faithful steward of it.
• It was because of his faithfulness to this stewardship in preaching this truth that he suffered so!
• This mystery was so contrary to Judaism and the Mosaic system that the Jews sought to kill this man.
• But NOTHING could shake Paul from being faithful to this ministry. (Acts 20:24) Paul did not count his life dear… he was determined to finish his course and fulfill his God-given ministry.
• He was so DRIVEN by this marvelous revelation, that he risked his life and welfare in order to FULLY preach it…
• We are in Christ and He is in us!
What Could Be More Practical? If Christ lives in me, then…
1. THEN… He sees what my eyes are looking at.
a. Remember that when you decide to watch a video… or read a book… or you pick up a magazine in the Dr.’s office.
b. Remember that when you are tempted to look after a woman to lust in your heart. Christ sees what you are looking at.
2. THEN… He hears what I allow my ears to listen to.
a. Think of that when folks begin to gossip…
b. Think of that when someone turns on a rock station on the radio…
c. Think of that when you decide to tear the Sunday school teacher to shreds…
3. THEN… He goes where I go.
a. Remember that wherever you go. Would you really take the Lord Jesus Christ to that place? If He’s in you, and you go there, then you are taking Him there!
b. Think of that when you go to a questionable setting. Would the Lord Jesus be comfortable here? I am bringing Him here…
4. THEN… He knows what is going on in my mind.
a. If Christ dwells IN me… (and He does), then He is right there in the midst of my thoughts… my imagination… the intents of my heart.
b. He knows when we are grumbling inside… murmuring.
c. He knows when we are discontent…
d. He knows when we are thinking evil of a brother…
e. He knows when we are angry…
f. He knows when we are harboring grudges…
g. He knows when we are coveting the things of the world…
h. He knows when pride arises in our mind and heart…
i. He knows the motives and intentions of my heart. He not only sees the outside (WHAT I do or say)… but He sees the inside (WHY I do what I do; WHY I say what I say; etc.)
• He knows what motives our actions (a genuine desire for holiness… or an expression of self righteousness.)
• He knows when we mean what we say… or if we speak as a hypocrite…
• He knows whether our thoughts, words, and deeds are motivated by selfish pride or by a genuine love for the Lord.
• And it doesn’t matter what other people think. Christ lives in me. It matters what HE sees… what HE thinks of me… for He knows the truth.
5. Christ dwells in our heart by faith.
a. When we walk by faith… filled with the Spirit… trusting in God… and not trusting in our own strength… following His Word… THEN Christ is not only present in us, but He DWELLS in us…
b. Dwell: to be at home… to feel at home… comfortable… resting as at home…
c. When our eyes are watching that which is displeasing to the Lord; or our tongue is saying that which is displeasing to Him; or we are harboring sin in our heart, THEN Christ is most UNCOMFORTABLE! He hates sin.
d. He is present in us even when we sin. He will never leave us nor forsake us. But He is not at home.
e. Christ is not at home in the heart of a carnal, worldly believer. The world HATES Christ. Friendship with the world is enmity with God.
f. If we really LOVE the Lord, we will want to make Him most comfortable in our hearts… We are privileged to have Him as our guest.
6. Our position is that we are in Christ and that He is in us.
a. When that truth really begins to sink in… it will have a life transforming effect on us!
b. Allow the glory of it to sink in… the riches of the glory of the mystery… consider the awesome privilege… the wonder of it all… and the responsibility that naturally follows such privilege…
c. We will not need to be FORCED to change our behavior… we will WANT to change our behavior… because it makes our indwelling guest uncomfortable… because we love the Lord and would NEVER want to hurt Him…
d. This is a change that comes from within… where Christ dwells in our hearts.
e. When Christ is on the inside, not only will we be concerned about keeping the inside of the cup clean and pure… (attitudes; thoughts; emotions; etc..) but Christ’s presence will also manifest itself outwardly… and have a cleansing effect on the outside of the cup too.
f. How could His indwelling presence NOT have an effect on our lives? It WILL… if we meditate upon the riches of these riches… if we spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet… in awe of who He is… soaking in a bit of His glorious Person…
g. The more we meditate on our glorious position in Christ… the more this marvelous truth sinks in… the more it thrills our souls… and captivates our minds and hearts, the more transformed into His image our lives will become.
• This is the essence of true Christianity: Christ in you… the hope of glory!
• This is the genius of Christianity: Christ in you!
• Christianity is not a code. It is Christ.
• For to me to live is Christ!
• Christ, who is our life!
• Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.
• Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
• I am His and He is mine. Now I belong to Jesus!
• Christ dwells in me—and that changes absolutely everything!
7. What a marvelous effect this truth will have on a local assembly when it finally sinks in…
a. Christ dwells in every one of us… in every true believer.
b. And He who hath begun a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Christ.
c. He is IN us… and is working in us… to make us more like Himself.
d. This was exceedingly difficult for first century Jews to grasp… to swallow: that Christ dwelt in Gentiles…
e. How could a believing Hebrew of the first century ever have animosity toward his Gentile brother again… since Christ dwells in him?
f. If Christ is dwelling within and changing him from the inside out… how could he ever judge that brother by his Jewish traditions and rules? Did he think that his traditions were superior to the indwelling Christ?
g. You see, when this truth really sinks in, it has an equalizing effect on Body members: we stand on perfectly equal footing before the Lord… and all are indwelt by Christ Himself!
h. How dare we think of ourselves as being better… superior?
i. This truth really makes us BRETHREN… Jew and Gentile; male and female; bond or free; rich or poor…
j. We are truly ONE in Christ… one in hope and doctrine… one in charity… one in goal and purpose: That Christ might have the preeminence in all we do or say!
k. Self is left on the cross. Christ is all and in all. Christianity truly is CHRIST in you… the hope of glory.
The Content of the Preaching: The Indwelling Christ
1. Whom (ὁν [hon]). That is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
a. It is not just Christ in the abstract or in a generic sense, but Christ in you the hope of glory is the content of his preaching. That’s the Christ we preach!
b. We don’t preach the Old Testament message of Christ: Messiah is coming to suffer and die; and Messiah is coming to reign forever…
c. Nor do we preach the message of Christ as presented in the gospel… as the King offering the kingdom (Repent; for the kingdom of God is at hand.)
d. We don’t preach a baby Christ in a manger. We don’t preach a dead Christ on a crucifix.
e. We don’t preach about a mortal Jesus as a carpenter who was tired and weary…
f. We no longer know Christ that way. (II Cor. 5:16-17)
g. We preach the risen, ascended, glorified Christ… who makes His abode IN US… and manifests His life THROUGH us! That’s the Christ we preach… the indwelling Christ… Christ in you… the hope of glory. I know no other Jesus!
2. Christ was the CONTENT of the apostolic message… and should be today too!
a. Acts 5:42 – they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ…
b. Acts 8:5 – Philip preached Christ in Samaria.
c. Acts 8:35 – Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
d. Acts 9:20- As soon as Paul was saved: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
e. Acts 11:20 – when they came to the gentiles, they preached Jesus Christ… not the law or their traditions, but Christ and Him crucified.
f. I Cor. 2:1 – For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
g. Rom. 16:25 – Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery…
h. The content of their message was NOT: election; separation; prophecy; dispensationalism; eternal security.
• They would get to those great doctrines of the faith in time…
• But their message revolved around Christ.
• In fact, all those doctrines in the written Word relate to Christ… the Living Word.
• Eph. 3:8 – Paul was given the ministry of preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is no end to learning of the riches in Christ… hence, no end to preaching and teaching of Him. All teaching is to revolve around Him. There is so much that could be taught… we will never even scratch the surface!
• Eph. 3:9 – Paul preached Christ so that believers might see (discern) how rich is the fellowship of the mystery… fellowship among the saints in the Body of Christ. The Body IS Christ! If you love Christ, you will love His Body. If you love fellowship with Christ, you will love fellowshipping with His Body.
• Preaching Christ… the unsearchable riches of Christ… results in believers learning to SEE how significant the fellowship of the Body… the mystery is to God. Today, you can’t separate Christ from His Body.
3. There was quite a contrast between the content of the preaching of the false teachers in Colosse and the content of Paul’s preaching and teaching.
a. The false teachers preached themselves. Paul preached Christ.
b. The false teachers preached their opinions. Paul preached the mind of Christ.
c. The false teachers preached their traditions. Paul preached Christ.
d. The false teachers preached philosophies. Paul preached Christ.
e. The false teachers preached their rules (touch not; taste not handle not). Paul preached Christ.
f. The false teachers preached a religious system. Paul preached a Person: Christ.
g. The false teachers preached a message designed to draw away disciples after themselves. (Acts 20:30) Paul pointed men to Christ and Him alone… and saw himself as nothing but an old clay pot to be used of the Lord at His will.
4. If a ministry is not Christ centered, it is not Spirit empowered… for the Spirit came to glorify Him. (John 16:14).
a. Paul preached Christ throughout this epistle!
b. Christ the object of our faith (1:4)
c. Christ the object of our service (1:7)
d. Christ the Redeemer (1:14)
e. Christ the image of the invisible God (1:15)
f. Christ the Creator (1:16)
g. Christ the One who holds all together (1:17)
h. Christ the Head of the Body (1:18)
i. Christ the Firstborn from the dead (1:18b)
j. Christ the One who is to have all preeminence (1:18c)
k. Christ in whom all fullness dwells (1:19)
l. Christ and His work on the cross (1:20)
m. Christ the reconciler of heaven and earth (1:20)
n. Christ the One before whom we will be presented (1:22)
o. Christ and His ongoing afflictions for the church (1:24)
p. Christ the subject of the revelation of the mystery (1:26)
q. Christ the Indwelling One (1:27)
r. Christ and His relationship to Gentiles (1:27)
s. Christ the object of our preaching (1:28)
t. And this is just chapter one!
u. “Whom we preach.” Paul meant it.
The Ministry of the Word
A. Negative: Warning Every Man
1. Warning: to admonish, warn of dangers, exhort; advise on the consequences of wrong actions.
a. Theological Dictionary of New Testament: It seeks to correct the mind, to put right what is wrong, to improve the spiritual attitude.
b. It seeks to influence the mind and disposition by appropriate instruction, exhortation, warning and correction.
c. Eph. 6:4 – fathers are told to bring their children up in the “admonition of the Lord.” (noun form) A good father would warn his sons and daughters of dangers… IF he loved them!
2. Acts 20:31 – the minister should constantly warn the flock.
a. Vs. 29 – because life in the Body is dangerous. Wolves seek to destroy us. Hence, the warning.
b. Paul warned of many false teachers and of evil men… and he wasn’t afraid to name them either! Alexander the coppersmith; Hymenaeus and Philetus; Phygellus and Hermogenes.
c. Paul warned the flock about the wolves… and did so by name. The Neo evangelicals think of the fundamentalist as being unloving and unbiblical for pointing out doctrinal errors and naming names. Yet we are in good company: Paul, John, Jesus…
d. The flock needs to be warned because some of these evil men were undermining Paul’s ministry; they overthrew the faith of some; they loved to have the preeminence; they were introducing gangrene into the Body; they were like ravening wolves (consider how wolves treat sheep!).
e. It is important that we admonish one another… and warn one another of dangers from without… and from dangers from within our own heart… which is deceitful above all things… and from our flesh in which dwells no good thing.
3. Warning and admonition applies to the wolves… but also to other forms of error too.
a. If a believer is harboring a grudge in his heart and it is obvious… he needs to be lovingly admonished to repent!
b. If a believer has not been coming out to church… if he has been forsaking the assembling together of the saints… he needs to be reminded of Heb. 10:24-25.
c. If a believer has been gossiping… he needs to be rebuked… warned of the danger… and pointed to appropriate Scripture.
d. If a believer has been starting to read literature that contains error, he needs to have that loving, and gently pointed out.
e. If a believer is wearing immodest clothing… listening to ungodly music… going to questionable places… he needs to be warned… admonished…
f. If a believer turns inward and stops fellowshipping with the brethren… he needs to be reminded of appropriate Scripture.
g. If a believer is beginning to lose his first love… and is being lured away into the world… he needs an admonition… or even a rebuke…
4. It also matters HOW we admonish one another.
a. I Cor. 4:14 – Paul warned many flocks about potential dangers… as any father would warn his beloved son.
b. II Thess. 3:14–15? – admonish him as a brother.
c. I Thess. 2:11-12 – exhorting, comforting, and charging every one of you, as a father doth his children.
d. We are to admonish one another, but NOT with:
• A holier than thou attitude; self righteous…
• Not to put someone down… or embarrass them.
• Not in public… but in private…
• Not as a self appointed policeman in the affairs of others…
• Not in hypocrisy: not with a beam in our own eye…
• To a brother we have earned the right to admonish through friendliness… and concern.
• Waiting on the Lord for the right time, place, and circumstances…
• And only after much prayer… and in a spirit of love… humility… meekness considering thyself… for the good of the brother and the glory of God.
• Gal. 6:1 – be sure you are spiritual and approach that believer in the spirit of meekness… lest YOU be tempted and fall yourself!
5. The Bible indicates that the whole BODY ought to be involved in care for one another: expressed through admonition.
a. Admonishing one another ought to be an expression of Christ’s love for His Body… if we are filled with the Spirit.
b. Rom. 15:14 – believers should be able to admonish one another. The flock should also be able to admonish one another… not just the pastor.
c. This means we need to know the Word of God… and we need to have a mature relationship with Christ.
d. Col. 3:16 – let the word of Christ DWELL in your heart… teaching and admonishing one another!
e. The better you know the Word, the more benefit you will be to the Body… the better equipped you will be to teach and admonish one another.
6. In order to KNOW what is going on in the lives of the brethren… SO THAT we can care for one another… teach… exhort… rebuke… encourage… weep… rejoice… the church leadership here strongly encourages folks to come to prayer meeting… and on a regular basis.
a. That’s where we learn of the triumphs and trials that the brethren are experiencing.
b. Hence, we are ABLE to admonish one another… ABLE to encourage or rebuke… ABLE to pray intelligently…
c. Prayer meeting is about 1 hour… 1 hour 15 minutes per week. That is not going to upset your free time… or your family time.
d. In fact, it IS family time… take the whole family… and join in with your spiritual family!
e. Prayer meeting is one of the best ways to get to KNOW and stay in tune with the Body… and if you don’t know someone… or what’s going on in their lives… you can’t get involved in teaching and admonishing one another.
f. And what better way to admonish one another… than to back it up with corporate prayer!
B. Positive: Teaching Every Man
1. He taught positive truth…
a. It is good and necessary to expose error; to warn of danger; and to rebuke when necessary.
b. But it is even MORE important that God’s people are FED!
c. It is important to know which foods to avoid. But it is even more important to eat good food!
d. A good shepherd will warn the sheep about the wolves… but he will also lead them to green pastures and still waters!
e. A pastor needs to have a warning ministry… and to admonish and rebuke… but if that is all the sheep are getting, it is an unbalanced diet… and the sheep will starve.
f. Sheep need to be fed… and as believers, we grow hungry and need to feed on Christ… the Bread of Life; we grow thirsty and must satisfy that thirst with Christ… the Living Water.
2. The sheep need to be fed; edified; strengthened with might in the inner man; and to learn to feast on Christ for themselves.
a. Teaching God’s word accomplishes all this.
b. Teaching the Word also strengthens our faith.
c. Teaching the Word magnifies Christ…
d. Teaching the Word instructs us on HOW TO LIVE…
e. The Word is more important than our necessary food.
f. That’s why the ministry is to be characterized by Bible teaching and preaching… which revolves around the person of Christ.
C. Paul’s Was a Balanced Ministry
1. He included both the negative and the positive in his preaching.
2. He was not constantly warning and exposing error… without positively teaching and building up the saints!
3. His ministry was not all teaching… aimed at the head and leaving the heart untouched.
4. Nor was his ministry all admonition… aimed at the heart without any intellectual basis for the admonition.
a. Teaching deals with doctrine and is aimed primarily at the head… the intellect. (we are tripartite beings; intellect, emotion, and will.)
b. Exhortation/admonition deals with conduct and is primarily aimed at the heart.
c. All exhortation… a ministry that aims for the heart and bypasses the head is dangerous indeed. That is the methodology of the charismatic movement.
d. They use emotional appeals with very little doctrinal teaching… and if the speaker is dynamic, his emotional appeals CAN produce results: he can whip up a crowd into a frenzy and get a response… but it is merely superficial.
e. Doting over behavior without expounding the biblical basis… without sound teaching… bypassing the intellect and aiming exclusively for the emotions and the heart always results in superficiality.
5. Both teaching AND exhortations are needed by God’s people.
a. But before you can make a MEANINGFUL exhortation, it must be preceded by teaching… and teaching takes time.
b. New Tribes approach: they do not give the simple gospel message to the tribes. First they TEACH the whole Bible… then exhort them to be saved.
c. Contemporary Christian Music: Ron could just tell us that CCM is bad and conservative Christian music is good. Therefore, don’t listen to CCM. The approach he is taking is far better… he is teaching WHY CCM is bad… and what is right about conservative Christian music.
d. WINE: I read a booklet on wine (Booze is sin!) It took a simplistic approach to the subject—and made all kinds of harsh admonitions… but never said WHY! There was no real Biblical, doctrinal, teaching to back up the exhortation.
e. Unless the head understands the Biblical basis for an exhortation… it is merely one man telling another man what to do. It is making up a rule… legalistic living… like Judaism.
f. God treated the Jews as children; He treats us as full grown sons!
g. When a believer understands the teaching behind the exhortation… when he sees clearly that this exhortation IS in fact based on Bible truth… that it IS God’s will… then the exhortation is powerful… and the believer will respond out of conviction of heart before God… not mere cowering before a man.
6. Read Paul’s epistles. This was ever his pattern. The first section was doctrinal/didactic (teaching) while the final section was practical (admonition).
a. First he teaches, then he admonishes.
b. First he methodically builds his case and presents his arguments. Then he makes exhortations BASED upon the argument he made.
c. Ex: In Col., Paul spends 2 chapters developing the theme of our position in Christ… in His death, resurrection, and ascension. THEN he makes the application: If ye then be risen with Christ—SEEK those things which are above!
d. Without making the case first, the exhortation is quite hollow… lacking power…
e. Without making the case from Scripture, it is just one man’s opinion.
f. Without making the case, it is quite hollow; empty; it comes without divine authority; no biblical basis; no substance.
g. And if the person who hears that admonition—even if he complies and takes your advice, it is NOT a heart felt conviction from God. It is rather following the opinions of men… peer pressure… following the crowd. And that will NOT do when the hour of testing comes.
h. But WITH the teaching… the exhortation is seen to be our REASONABLE service! It is reasonable because we understand the hows and whys of it all!
i. Thus, Paul’s method was ever the same: first comes a lengthy teaching section; then comes the various and sundry exhortations BASED upon truth.
j. Thus, the exhortation comes… not as Paul’s opinion, but it comes with Divine authority… for the case has been made from Scripture.
k. Thus, we always see Paul using BOTH: teaching AND warning… positive instruction; and negative warnings.
7. However, there is a tendency to go to one extreme or the other.
a. Some fundamentalists have warning ministries and their flocks are warned about error 52 Sundays a year…
• And as a result, the flock is never fed… never built up and encouraged…
• While they are discerning and would never fall for New evangelicalism… or any of the cults… they are starving for Christ! They know more about the cults than they know about Christ!
• They know what’s wrong with all the false religious systems, but they don’t know how to LIVE the Christian life.
b. Most neo-evangelicals have positive upbeat ministries… where the flock is constantly told about God’s love… care… concern…
• That flock is upbeat and encouraged… but the sheep lack discernment…
• The shepherd hasn’t warned them about wolves…
• The shepherd was too much of a milk toast to say anything negative… too afraid of offending… afraid to expose error.
• As a result, the flock is ignorant of spiritual dangers… and liable to be torn to shreds by a smooth talking false teacher.
c. Both of those scenarios are unbalanced and spiritually unhealthy.
d. It is NOT to be an either/or situation, but BOTH. The sheep need to hear the blessings AND the cursing. They need to be encouraged AND warned.
e. Paul was the right kind of minister. He “fulfilled the Word of God” (vs. 25c) = he FULLY preached the Word… the WHOLE counsel of God…
f. Paul fully preached the Word because he both warned every man and taught every man… and because he preached Christ… risen, ascended, glorified… and us IN Him, and He in us!
g. And how can we be sure that we are fully preaching the Word? How can we know if we are getting God’s emphasis? How can we be sure that we are getting the WHOLE counsel of God? When the pastor teaches line-by-line… precept upon precept… verse by verse… chapter by chapter… book by book… Old and New Testaments.
D. Every Man
1. Every man refers to every BELIEVER.
2. Every man refers to every believer without distinction: Jew, Gentile, male, female, rich, poor, bond, free… there is no difference in Christ.
3. Paul repeats this for a purpose. (repeated 3 times)
a. The Gnostics taught that they possessed a special knowledge that was only for the initiated few… for the spiritually elite.
b. Paul bends over backwards to contrast Christianity from their teachings. Christ is for EVERY believer… not an elite club. There are no elite spiritual clubs in the Body of Christ. (I’m of Paul; Peter; Christ.)
4. EVERY man is to be instructed in the Scriptures.
a. Not every believer will grasp truth to the same degree, but truth is for every believer.
b. And every believer can apply truth to the best of his capacity…
5. This also implies that every single person in the local church is important to God. NONE are to be overlooked. ALL are to be instructed and admonished. NONE are to be considered “too far gone” or “hopeless.”
6. This implies also that every believer should be concerned about the spiritual well-being of every other believer in the assembly.
a. Every member in the Body is important to God… and will be to Spirit filled believers.
b. If Christ dwells in your heart by faith, then the love of Christ will dwell in your heart as well.
c. If the love of Christ is in you, then you will be a yielded vessel that He can use to demonstrate HIS love THROUGH you… and TO other believers in the local church.
d. The love of Christ is demonstrated through us when we admonish one another… warn… remind of truth… counsel…
e. Ps. 141:5 – “let the righteous smite me.” Yes even pointing out sin in a believer’s life can be an expression of love… because it is for his good.
7. The pastor isn’t able to admonish, counsel, and minister to EVERY man in the Body.
a. It is not God’s design for that to be so.
b. God’s plan is for EVERY member in the Body to be taught and thus ABLE to admonish one another.
E. In All Wisdom
1. Both the teaching and the warning/admonition are to be conducted in the sphere of Divine wisdom… practical wisdom… discernment.
a. Col. 1:9 – filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom.
b. That’s the way to teach and admonish… filled (controlled) by HIS will and HIS knowledge (not our opinions)…
c. Eph. 1:17 = PRAY for wisdom and discernment, and God gives it.
2. He taught in all wisdom… hence, he not only preached Christ, he taught Christ… for all wisdom resides in Him (Col. 2:3).
3. He charged them to walk in wisdom too. (Col. 4:5)
4. Be careful when a believer admonishes you.
a. While he may be well meaning in his motives… he may also be dead wrong in his assessment.
b. He may have good intentions, but his counsel may be flawed… unbiblical… his own personal conviction rather than Scripture… and sometimes it may simply be “off the wall.”
c. Remember Acts 17:11 – the Bereans listened to the admonition… and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so.
d. Sometimes believers give terrible advice!
e. Please don’t assume that because someone from Salem Bible Church counseled you in a certain way that it must be the official teaching of the church. It may be that believer’s opinion… and the church leadership may completely disagree!
f. If someone gives you counsel… if a believer tries to admonish you… (1) don’t resist, but listen carefully; (2) be gracious and assume he is out for your best interest; (3) prayerfully consider what he says and compare it to Scripture; (4) if you are still not sure, get a second opinion from a mature, Spirit filled believer; (5) if it is of the Lord, then respond in a proper manner; (6) if it is not of the Lord, then thank him, but don’t take his advice.
5. Be careful in admonishing a brother in the Lord.
a. Consider Matthew Henry’s wise counsel in this area: We must choose the fittest seasons, and use the likeliest means, and accommodate ourselves to the different circumstances and capacities of those we have to do with, and teach them as they are able to bear.”
b. Paul endeavored to manifest wisdom in the MANNER in which he taught and admonished the brethren.
• As a nurse cherisheth her children—as opposed to a bull in a china closet.
• Don’t approach a brother as an irrational zealot… but the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient?. ?In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.
6. When Spirit filled and Spirit led teaching and admonition is conducted in the sphere of God-given wisdom… it is always fruitful.
a. Whether the brother responds in faith and obedience to the teaching or admonition is not all-important.
b. Christ is magnified when His love for the brethren is demonstrated through our yielded hearts, minds, and tongues, showing concern for members of the Body.
c. Of course, the goal is that the brother or sister WOULD respond to the admonition… take it to heart… receive the Word… and allow God to transform his/her mind and heart.
d. How healthy and strong the Body would be if we all put these important principles into practice right here…
e. The saints would mature… be edified… the Body strengthened… and Christ magnified… for it is all HIM working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. To Him be the glory.
The Goal of the Ministry:
Presenting Every Man Perfect in Christ
PERFECTION DEFINED AND DESCRIBED
1. Perfect: mature; whole; complete; well rounded; adult, of full age, full grown; (like ripened fruit) brought to its end, finished; lacking nothing necessary to completeness.
a. I Cor. 14:20 – translated “men” (contrasted with children; immaturity).
b. I Cor. 13:10 – that which is “complete”… contrasted to that which is partial.
c. Heb. 5:14 – translated “of full age” as contrasted to a young age.
d. James 1:4 – “perfect and entire lacking nothing”—explains it well… having all the pieces, nothing lacking… like a completed puzzle… a car at the end of the assembly line… It is contrasted to that which is lacking.
e. Luke 8:14 – fruit being brought to perfection (full grown; nice and ripe). Contrasted to that which has not ripened… is not fully grown… hard green fruit… rather than soft, tender, sweet, ripened fruit.
f. This term does NOT refer to sinless perfection… Nor does it refer to a stage in the Christian life where we no longer sin… or there is no longer room for improvement.
g. The process called “perfection” is the process of spiritual growth and maturity. It might be referred to as progressive sanctification.
2. Perfection for the believer means Christlike transformation.
a. Christlikeness is maturity. It is being full grown… grown up… ripened to perfection… sweet… entire, lacking nothing… all the pieces are in place… Christlike fruit manifested.
b. Gal. 4:19 – Christ is being formed in you… when He is COMPLETELY formed in us… then we are conditionally perfected.
3. Phil. 3:12 – But, we are never fully perfected in this life.
a. In this life there will always be room for improvement.
b. Paul acknowledges that he has not arrived at FULL and absolute perfection or maturity. But in 3:15 he speaks of himself as mature (relatively… not absolutely).
c. As believers we can reflect His character in our lives. (Christlike maturity). But His character is SO glorious that we can only reflect it dimly… not perfectly… not entirely. There is always room for more…
d. Those (like Paul!) who acknowledge that they have not yet achieved perfection don’t use this as an excuse to not bother trying (“it’s too hard; too far beyond us; no one will ever make it, so why try?!).
e. Rather, Paul used this as an incentive to follow after (pursue; flee after; persecute; chase) perfection.
f. We are not perfected until we are completely like Him.
g. We are constantly being transformed into His image from glory to glory… yet not until we are actually IN glory will this process be complete.
h. God’s will is for that process to continue until He comes or until our dying day. (Phil. 1:6)
i. Hence, practically speaking, conditionally speaking, our earthly condition will always come short of our heavenly position: complete in Him; perfected forever.
j. That means there is always more to go… more to strive for… areas where we are lacking… blind spots… areas of weakness… hard heartedness… ignorance…
k. To say there is no room for improvement is the height of arrogance and the height of ignorance…
l. In fact, the closer we get to the Lord, the more like Christ we become, the more aware we become of how far short of His glory we fall! Hence, Paul himself as the chief of sinners… and less than the least of all the saints…
m. II Cor. 7:1 – we are to be active in perfecting holiness because none of us has! Holiness is one aspect of Christlikeness that we fall far short of… daily.
4. The purpose of the gospel ministry to believers in the local church is that they might become perfect, whole, and mature. (Matt. 28:19-20)
a. The job isn’t done when a man is converted. It has only just begun. He is to be taught and admonished!
b. When a baby is born, that is not the ultimate goal for that person. GROWTH is. He is not expected to remain a babe, but to grow up… mature… to become a man… and to be fruitful…
c. The Great Commission included not only preaching the saving gospel message, but making disciples… and teaching them all things…
d. Not just converts but disciples. Not just spiritual births… but ongoing spiritual growth.
e. A man can be saved in a moment. It takes the rest of his life to be discipled… which involves growth and maturity.
f. Don’t be content just to be saved… just to be alive spiritually. There is so much MORE! Grow up!
GOD HAS MANY MEANS OF PERFECTING IN HIS CHILDREN.
1. TRIALS: James 1:2-4 – the purpose of trials is to bring believers to perfection. This too is God’s means of instruction.
a. The trying of our faith works patience… and patience (endurance; perseverance) results in maturity.
b. The ultimate goal of every trial God allows in our lives is that we might become mature: Christlike, sanctified, transformed.
c. It is our nature to be spiritually childish and immature. God weans us away from childishness through trials…
d. The child doesn’t like being weaned away… but it is good for him. It is an important step toward maturity.
e. KNOWING: God wants us to know what He is doing in our trials… hence, we can rejoice!
f. LET: God wants us to LET Him work in us during trials… let patience do its work in us… allow yourself to be exercised by the trial…
g. When we KNOW that God is using it for our spiritual good, and we LET Him (yield) do His good work in us—trials are exceedingly valuable and the end result is maturity and fruit!
h. II Cor. 12:9 – His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Weakness helps mature us.
• God allows us to become weak… through trials… to reveal to us how weak we really are… how helpless our flesh really is… so that we will finally STOP trusting in our own strength, and fall upon the Lord and seek HIS strength to work in us! End of self…
• The Lord has given me a little taste of the weakness and frailty of my flesh…
• The Potter uses trials to crush the hard, inflexible spots in the clay… so that He can mould as He desires.
• He opened my eyes to see things I never saw before; He dealt with pride by humbling and humiliating me; He softened hardened areas of my heart; He showed me areas of weakness and in a clearer way… my need of HIS strength… moment by moment… and He is still working!
• While I hate the process of being ground down to powder by the Potter… I can say that it has been the best thing He could have done for me spiritually. Grind away, Lord!
• The more aware we become of our own weakness, the more aware we become of our need for HIS strength.
• Don’t complain about your weakness. See God’s goodness and grace in it… and be ye thankful!
• Be exercised by the trial… allow God to do His good work in you! LET patience do her work in us!
i. Trials bring us to maturity… and result in Christlike fruit manifested in our lives.
• It is worth every ounce of pain or grief involved!
• I Pet. 5:10 – after you have suffered a while, make you perfect… stablish, strengthen you…
• Every time the Potter smashes the clay to remove lumps… He is better able to turn that hunk of clay into His workmanship… into the image of His Son.
• Don’t fight against the trials God has allowed in your life. Submit to them… and let God do His perfect work in us…
• He is making us less like ourselves and more like Himself. That is worth it… regardless of the price.
• Yield… surrender… LET God be God in your life. SUBMIT to the trial… that ye might be perfect and entire, lacking nothing!
2. THE BODY: the purpose of the Body is our perfection…
a. Eph. 4:12 – church leaders/teachers are for the perfection of the saints…
• Pastor/teachers are for the perfecting of the saints.
• Perfecting: a different word = equipping; mending; making fit for service… made whole or complete (like mending nets).
• Different term, but similar concept: whole; complete.
• Members of the Body are lacking teaching; lacking experience; lacking maturity.
• The pastor/teacher’s job is to teach the Word that the saints might be perfected… equipped to function as God intended…
• God has given every believer a capacity to function in the Body… but that spiritual gift needs to be developed… matured… and put to good use. And the Body is lacking if that member is not functioning in the Body as God designed.
• The saints are also lacking… incomplete without the ministry of the local church…
• God’s design for the saint is his perfection… and God uses gifted men in the local church to bring about that perfection… to make the saints whole and complete.
• The pastor teaches the Word… the saints are to receive it… grow thereby… and thus ALL the saints are to DO THE WORK of the ministry… ministering one to another… and the process of spiritual growth and edification continues.
• II Cor. 13:11 – Exhortation: Finally brethren, be perfect (grow up!) Believers are to exhort one another to grow up… to provoke one another… using the Word of God.
• The end result of this kind of spiritual growth is Christlikeness.
b. Eph. 4:13 – Through the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
• The saints are to be busy serving and ministering to one another in the Body.
• This is to continue till we all come… (come = to arrive at a destination; attain…
• What is the church to arrive at? Attain unto?
» The unity of the faith…
» The knowledge of the Son of God (grow in…)
» Unto a perfect man… (perfect = the term in Col. 1 = complete; whole; mature; full grown).
• Follow Paul’s point here:
» The pastor/teacher teaches the Word to the saints.
» The saints become equipped to do the work of ministry to one another in the Body.
» The whole Body becomes MATURE… because of the ministry WITHIN the Body.
» 4:16 – the Body… makes increase of itself in love.
» God’s purpose for the local church is that the Body and each member in particular would participate in Body Life… learn… become equipped… minister… and be used to increase the Body…
» The result of that kind of Spirit led action is that the Body (and members in particular) become mature… unto a perfect man… like fruit that is full grown… ripened… tender, and sweet!
» The Body grows in Christlikeness… more of His sweet fruit manifested through its members…
» Thus, the Body grows “unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
» Wuest: The expression “the fulness of Christ,” refers to the sum of the qualities which make Christ what He is.”
» The Body makes progress in the direction of the fullness of Christ… more of His LIFE and character manifested through the Body.
» Eph. 1:23 – Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. The Body is to be FULL of Christ… His life and holiness manifested. That is maturity… when we are made like Him.
• God designed the local church and ministry within the local church for the perfection of the saints and that the Body would grow unto a perfect man.
3. THE WORD OF GOD: II Tim. 3:16-17 – the purpose of the Word is our perfection… it is admonition and teaching by the WORD that results in maturity… That’s why God gave us His Word!
a. It is the instruction from God’s Word that results in “perfection”… spiritual maturity.
b. Spiritual maturity is not the result of slick, efficient, organizational skills. It does not arise because the pastor read a book on church growth. It certainly is not the result of entertaining the sheep. It does not arise by little sound bite blurbs of Bible smattered about. It is the result of an ongoing, in depth, line by line exposition of the whole counsel of God.
c. For this reason it is necessary to assure that the pastor TAKES TIME to study God’s Word… and is not caught up in all kinds of programs and extraneous activities which take him away from the Word of God and prayer.
d. Acts 6 – the apostles got someone else to serve tables so they could attend the things God called them to…
e. We have ONE main program here: the teaching of God’s Word. Everything is ancillary and subordinate… and is subject too change or cancellation… everything except the Word.
f. It is the teaching of God’s Word that results in perfection and spiritual maturity… that the man of God may be perfect… thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
g. I Pet. 2:2 – desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may GROW thereby. Growth comes through the ministry of the Word. Be IN it daily… fill your mind and heart with it…
h. Heb. 5:11-14 – The apostle’s goal was that the Hebrew believers would not remain stagnant in their Christian lives, but would GROW… mature… become discerning… spiritually wise… full grown… not remain as babes.
• These believers HAD been mature and were able to digest strong meat.
• But they BECAME such as have need of milk. They had regressed spiritually… and lost ground…
• The point: if we are not progressing (going on to perfection) we are regressing!
• Hence, the need for exhorting one another daily… the need for admonishing one another…
• Heb. 6:1 – let us go on to perfection (maturity) the purpose of a teaching ministry is our perfection.
• God’s NORM for the believer is to go forward. If you are standing still… you are actually losing ground.
• If you’re trying to go upstream, you have to put effort into swimming against the current. Just treading water won’t do. You will be swept downstream by the current.
• There is no standing still in the Christian life. Life is constantly moving… and we are to go on towards perfection… Christlikeness.
• God’s Word is that which brings us to perfection (II Cor. 3:18).
4. GRACE AS A RULE OF LIFE: The law made nothing perfect… but the bringing in of a better hope did! (Heb.7:18-19)
a. In what sense is the Law of God weak and unprofitable?
• The Law of Moses was weak—but certainly it was not morally weak.
• Rom.7:12 – the law is holy, just, and good.
• Rom.7:14 – the Law is spiritual. It is a reflection of God’s holy character.
b. But, there was a weakness to the Law of Moses. It was completely weak and powerless… to save.
• The law could not justify. (Rom. 3:20)
• The law could not give life… or else righteousness would have been the law. (Gal. 3:21)
c. But not only is the law weak to save or justify. The point the author of Hebrews wants to drive home is that the law is weak and powerless to sanctify too!
• It makes nothing perfect… does not bring us to maturity.
• It cannot deliver us from the bondage of sin in our daily lives.
• It cannot transform us into the image of Christ.
d. The law is disannulled. But that does not mean that we are now lawless. The opposite of law is not lawlessness. The opposite of law is GRACE… a new rule of life… and one that does what the law could never do: it brings us into the holy place… the place of fellowship, and power!
e. The disannulling of the law was of God—and so is the bringing in of a better hope.
• God removed the shadow and introduced the substance. Our hope is not based upon a shadow, but substance… Christ!
• We dare not mix these two principles (law and grace; or law and life). They are opposite systems… and must not be mixed… One was annulled and then the other was brought in. They cannot co-exist.
• The Mosaic Law is over… and what we have in its place as our new rule of life is CHRIST… and His marvelous grace. This is the age of grace.
f. In the age of grace, we have a Great HP… who can bring us right into the heavenly holy of holies… into a close relationship to Himself… in that heavenly sanctuary.
• This close relationship and communion results in spiritual growth… from glory to glory… perfection… maturity… transformation into the image of Christ.
• The Old Testament priestly system under the Law could not make anyone perfect.
• But under grace, our High Priest CAN bring us to perfection a far better hope!
g. Reverting back to the law will NEVER produce fruit… will never result in going on to perfection… will never bring us to maturity.
• Life under grace… incorporating the principles of grace into our lives… coming to the throne of grace… developing a relationship to Christ who is full of grace and truth… that WILL result in our perfection: Christlike maturity.
• Rom. 7:4 – we are dead to the Law… and now married to Christ. This new relationship under grace produces FRUIT… Christlike character… perfection. (the law produces fruit unto death – vs. 5)
2. PRAYER: I Thess. 5:23 – one purpose for prayer is complete sanctification… maturity… (Cf. I Pet. 5:10-11; Col. 4:12)
a. If a brother or sister is demonstrating immaturity, don’t pick on them; don’t gossip about them; pray for them!
b. Pray that God would open the eyes of their understanding that they might KNOW what is the hope of their calling… and that they would choose to walk worthy of that calling for the glory of God!
3. THE MYSTERY TRUTH: Col. 1:26-28 – A believer cannot be said to be “perfect/mature” unless he has been instructed and admonished in this mystery truth:
a. The riches part of the mystery: that Christianity is Christ in you… living His life through us… working IN us both to will and to do of His good pleasure…
b. In vs. 28 Paul states that he preached this truth THAT he might present believers perfect in Christ Jesus.
• Without this kind of preaching and teaching believers would NOT be able to be presented perfect before the Lord.
• They would be LACKING something VITAL in their Christian lives.
• Spiritual growth and maturity do not occur without some understanding and experience of this important New Testament revelation (the richest part!)
c. I John 4:12 – the indwelling God… has a transforming effect. His indwelling love is perfected in us… because HE is in us.
• Because He dwells in us, (when we yield) not only will His love be perfected in us…
• But also His grace, His holiness, His truth, His righteousness, His compassion, His character will also be perfected in us… Christ is being formed in you…
• This is God working IN us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Christ in you… Christianity!
• It is the work of the Holy Spirit to manifest the LIFE of Christ in each one of us. The more of HIM that is seen… and the less of self… the more progress we are making spiritually!
• Oh how we need to KNOW that our old man was crucified… and that we are raised up as new creatures in Christ… indwelt by Him… and as we yield, the Holy Spirit produces Christlike fruit in us… for His glory.
4. GOOD WORKS: Heb. 13:20-21 – putting it all into PRACTICE… (make you perfect IN every good work…)
a. This isn’t just “theory.” It is reality.
b. James 2:22 – by works faith is brought to maturity. Without works, faith is dead.
c. Faith and love are mere theories until they are put into practice.
• Good works… when empowered by the Holy Spirit… and are expressions of Christlike fruit…
• Good works PERFECT or complete faith and love… they make it “whole”… so it is not just theory, but reality… concrete.
• They are expressions of indwelling LIFE… that the life of Jesus might be manifest in our mortal bodies.
d. There are THREE WORKS to consider:
• God’s work FOR us (salvation) (Eph. 2:8-9)
• God’s work IN us (sanctification) (Eph. 2:10 – we are His workmanship; His creation).
• God’s work THROUGH us (service) (Eph. 2:10 – created unto good works).
• God has to work IN us before He can work through us.
• But when He DOES work in us… equip us… brings us to maturity… perfection… when He changes us to so that we are a “useful vessel”… THEN He works THROUGH us…
• UNTO good works… the goal of perfection is real fruit… changing us on the inside… which inevitably will manifest itself on the outside.
• This is great progress spiritually: when the Potter has sufficiently smashed the lumpy clay, beat us, molded us… shaped us… so that now He is finally able to USE us!
• Saved, sanctified, equipped, perfected, matured, and then ready for service!
e. It’s great to have fine teaching from the Word. It is necessary to understand certain truths. It is also great to faithfully attend the local church and to be equipped for service.
f. But the time comes when it is time to put into practice all that we have learned. God doesn’t want us to be mere “hearers of the Word” but DOERS!
g. The time comes for us to WALK in the good works God has ordained for us.
h. As God works IN us… He will also work THROUGH us.
i. Being Spirit filled… and resting in Christ does NOT translate into inactivity. Rather, it always results in walking in good works… into useful service for the Master… helpful ministry to the brethren… and a faithful witness to the world.
j. If CHRIST is really in us… then His LIFE and character will be seen THROUGH us. He went about doing good. He continually ministered to the disciples. And He continually preached the gospel to the lost.
k. If Christ is in you… and you are brought to maturity… unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… then this Christlike character and ministry will seen in our lives as well.
l. Christ is not inactive. Those resting in Christ will not be inactive either.
m. Walking in good works is one of God’s means of bringing us to perfection… Christlike maturity. Faith without works is dead.
Summary of God’s MEANS of perfection:
1. Trials
2. The Body
3. The Word
4. Grace
5. Prayer
6. Understanding the Mystery Truth
7. Good Works
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED…
PRESENTATION
1. II Cor. 11:2 – to present them as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2. II Cor. 4:14 – Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
3. Eph. 5:25 – ?That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
4. Col. 1:22 – to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
5. Jude 24 – Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…
6. This was the goal of Paul’s ministry: to prepare men, women, and children to be presented before the Bema Seat of Christ!
7. The goal of the ministry is not just to fill a building with people; to keep folks happy and entertained; to provide lots of social activities; or to provide food, clothing, and shelter; to provide a platform for social or political activism; etc… it is to get you ready to be presented before the Bema Seat of Christ.
8. Col. 1:22 – we will be presented positionally perfected.
9. Col. 1:28 – we should strive to be conditionally perfect… because we will be presented as we are.
a. Positionally perfected: we are eternally secure.
b. Conditionally perfected: we will receive either rewards or loss of rewards… wasted time is burnt up…
A. Personal responsibility.
1. Doers of the Word and not hearers only… lest we forget.
2. Progress rather than regress… by implementing that which is learned.
3. When rebuked or exhorted, don’t kick against the pricks.
4. Be exercised by the trial… and don’t rebel against it.
5. Acknowledge personal weakness. That is real strength.
6. Spend time in God’s Word.
7. Be faithful to the local church… not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together.
8. Prayer.
9. Be caught up with the glory of the Lord… (II Cor. 3:18)
10. Striving for perfection… (Phil. 3)
11. Ultimately, perfection is the work of God.
a. Ps 18:32; 138:8
b. Heb.13:20-21
c. He that hath begun a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6)
d. “Perform” = epitelew – to bring to an end, accomplish, perfect, execute, complete.
e. We WILL be presented holy and unblameable.
f. However, we will also be judged according to our works with respect to rewards. For this we are to strive… God working in and through us… not apart from us… or we apart from Him.
POSITION
The Sphere of Perfection: In Christ
1. Perfection (maturity; spiritual growth) comes ONLY through our position in Christ…
a. One must KNOW his position… be taught in his position.
b. He must BELIEVE these truths about his position in Christ.
c. He must then REST (abide) in his glorious position…
d. By abiding in our position… Christ’s life flows through us… His fullness becomes ours… His strength, wisdom, grace, holiness, purity… REAL fruit…
2. Eph. 4:15 – grow up into Him… growth is connected to our relationship to Christ… resting In Him… abiding In Him… communing with Him… worshipping Him…
a. Spiritual growth comes as a result of our relationship to a Person… not through our efforts or merit.
b. Justification is by faith… so is sanctification by faith: FAITH in Christ… trusting in Him… resting in Him…
c. As we trust in Him… rest in Him… abide in Him… that relationship has an enormous effect on us! His LIFE is manifested through us… the fruit of Christlike character is manifested through us…
d. As we spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, beholding His glory… we are gradually changed INTO that image, from glory to glory.
e. We grow INTO HIM… perfection (maturity) comes from being IN Christ… and abiding there!
f. The branch that is NOT abiding in Christ will never bear fruit… for without Christ, we can do nothing.
g. And when genuine Holy Spirit produced fruit IS borne by us, even that is HIS work in us… not merely our work for Him.
h. Any work that we do for Him that is of any value is a result of His work in us. The branch produces NOTHING on its own. In our flesh dwells NO good thing.
i. But IN CHRIST… that branch is exceedingly fruitful!
j. IN CHRIST that branch bears complete, mature, full-grown fruit… perfection is the result of our relationship to Christ. Period.
k. The believer does not grow spiritually nor does he become mature (perfected) in the faith by drawing up or following a checklist of rules and checking them off one by one.
• Music: I have all the right CDs
• Clothes: all my clothes have been approved by the board
• Words: my vocabulary has met all the requirements
• Entertainment: I only participate in the approved forms of entertainment.
• Therefore: I am mature!
• Not so! That kind of living results in self-righteousness rather than spiritual maturity.
• That kind of living results in flesh glorying in its own accomplishments…
l. True Christian living is Christ in us. The Holy Spirit produces His character in us as we YIELD to Him… surrender our will to His… walk in FAITH (resting; trusting)… and are willing to follow His leading wherever it takes us…
• The end results are changes that are heartfelt…
• This results in internal changes in behavior because we want to honor Christ… we truly desire to manifest Him… we want to display HIS grace, holiness, purity, love, righteousness…
• It is not FORCING behavioral changes against our will in order to “fit in” with the expectations of men… but rather, it is a WILLING submission to the yoke of Christ… listening to music that honors Him… willing to sacrifice self in order to attend church services because we WANT to… choosing clothing to please the Lord, not self (dressing up to come to church; modest clothing; avoiding outlandish styles; etc.) refusing to support questionable Hollywood movies, NOT because they are on a taboo list, but because they dishonor Christ!
• Convictions that are our own… not someone else’s… and those are the only kind of convictions that stick.
• Changes in lifestyle that is sourced in the Holy Spirit rather than the flesh…
• And a life that glorifies God, rather than our own accomplishments…
3. Present every man perfect in Christ: Perfection comes from position… knowing, believing, resting, and abiding in Christ…
4. At the presentation, our condition will finally match our position… forevermore!
The Goal of the Ministry:
The Presentation of Believers at the Bema
The Bema Seat
1. Seat: (bema)
a. In the ancient games in Athens, the Bema was a raised platform on which the judge sat and from which he rewarded the winners of the games.
b. In the Athenian games, the bema was a seat of reward, and was not used as a judicial seat.
2. Judgment: (criterion) the rule by which one judges.
a. The contestants in the games stood before the bema, and the judge scrutinized their performance on the basis of his criteria…
b. The winners were given rewards.
c. The judgment seat of Christ is a place where believers will stand before the Lord… and rewarded… for all those who believe are overcomers… winners.
3. The Bema seat is to be distinguished from the Great White Throne which is for unbelievers exclusively.
4. WHO: Only true believers will be present at the Bema Seat… judgment seat of Christ.
5. WHEN: The bema takes place between the rapture and the Second Coming. It is associated with the believer’s resurrection at the rapture… (Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me) and it is completed by the time of the Second Coming.
6. WHERE: Occurs in heaven… for the church is raptured TO heaven… and is seen in heaven crowned before the throne.
7. WHY:
a. Has nothing to do with eternal destiny. The issue is not whether a man is saved or not. (It occurs in heaven.)
b. It has only to do with rewards for faithful service.
8. The Bema Seat is a judgment seat: a judgment does occur there.
a. But WE are not being judged.
• For US (for true believers) there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.
• It is not our PERSON who is being judged at the Bema.
• That is because our old man was already judged and condemned to death… at the cross.
• Our old man was crucified.
• As a person, believers have already been judged, condemned, and executed. There is no double jeopardy with God.
b. Our SINS are NOT being judged at the Bema.
• Our sins were also already judged on the cross.
• “Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.”
• Our sins have already been forgiven at the moment of saving faith… all of them: past, present, and future.
• There is no punishment being dealt out for our sins at the Bema. The Bema is not a Protestant purgatory.
• Jesus Christ has already borne ALL of the punishment and condemnation for our sins.
• Christ already died FOR our sins. The issue of our sins has been dealt with at Calvary… and settled once and for all and forever by the precious blood of Christ.
» I Cor. 15:3 – For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
» Gal. 1:4 – Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world.
» I John 2:1-2 – we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:? 2?And he is the propitiation for our sins.
» For this reason, as a Christian, we can experience a PURGED conscience… when we realize that our sins have already been judged and condemned… we can experience God’s rest because we KNOW our sins have been paid for and God has been eternally satisfied.
» And as we continue to live on earth, we can continue to experience this rest of mind and heart KNOWING that we will never have to face a penalty for our sins.
c. It is our WORKS as new creatures that are being judged…
• II Cor. 5:10 – “the things done in our body… whether it be good or bad…” worthy of rewards or worthless…
» Appear = be made manifest.
» The Bema seat is going to REVEAL God’s estimate of our lives and our works.
» Man has one estimate… God has another.
» The TRUTH about our works, our thoughts, our motives, and the intents of the heart will be made manifest in that day.
• I Cor. 3:13 – Our works are judged to determine their quality (what SORT) of work we have done…
» flesh or Spirit
» for self glory or the glory of God
» in humility or pride
» whether we did our best or just did a sloppy job
• Col. 3:24-25 – we will be judged and rewarded for the good and for the wrong. (rewards or loss of rewards)
• That which is the result of the Spirit of God manifesting the indwelling life and character of Christ is rewarded. It is GOD working in us.
• Those works which are the efforts of the flesh is burned up as wood, hay, and stubble.
• When God judges our works as new creatures, there will be lots of surprises… because man can only judge by outward appearance… a very shallow and superficial means of judgment.
• Heb. 4:12 – God judges much deeper. He judges the heart… the motives and intents of the heart. He digs deeper and distinguishes between the soul and spirit… that which is emotional and truly spiritual.
9. We must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ. (II Cor. 5:10)
a. There are no exceptions.
b. Every one of our thoughts, words, deeds, motives, and even the intents of the heart shall be scrutinized by the Lord Jesus.
c. Rev. 1:13-14 – standing in the midst of the 7 churches is the Son of Man… observing everything… and His piercing eyes are as a flame of fire… penetrating…
d. Rev. 19:7-8 – The purpose of this judgment is to prepare us for the Marriage of the Lamb… to remove all dross… and robe us in white linen… fit for eternity with Christ.
e. The purpose of the ministry is to prepare men, women, and children for that day… to be presented before the Bema Seat… and ultimately to be presented before the Marriage of the Lamb…
• The reward believers receive is only for that which remains AFTER the fires of the Bema seat burn away all dross, wood, hay, and stubble.
• Note that it is not the believer who burns, but his works done in the flesh.
• This is not punishment or purgatory. Actually, it is a blessing—to have the dross removed… purifying the gold that remains… pure and white for the Marriage of the Lamb.
Presentation
1. The Term.
a. Defined: to place beside or near; to set at hand; to place a person or thing at one’s disposal
b. Usages:
• Acts 27:24 – Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar.
• Luke 2:22 – ?And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord.
• Rom. 6:13 – neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin…
• Rom. 12:1 – present your bodies a living sacrifice…
• Rom. 14:10 –we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (be presented before it… made to stand there…)
• Eph. 5:27 – ?That he might present it to himself a glorious church…
• Col. 1:22 – to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
• Col. 1:28 – that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
c. One day we ALL shall be yielded over to the Lord… made to stand before Him… yielded over to Him… presented to Him… turned over to Him… to be placed at His disposal…
• A day of presenting is coming for us all as believers.
• A day of standing before His judgment seat…
• Are you ready? The purpose of the ministry of the local church is to help GET you ready!
2. Paul’s point in Col. 1:28 is that the PURPOSE of the preaching, warning, and teaching ministry is to get men prepared for that day!
a. He preaches and teaches SO THAT he might have the privilege of presenting believers PERFECT before the Lord…
b. Nothing thrilled the apostle Paul quite like the JOY of thinking about those he won to Christ, discipled, taught, and brought them to maturity in Christ… and thinking of them being presented before the Lord! (I Thess. 2:19-20)
c. As a minister of the gospel… a teacher of God’s Word, this was Paul’s real joy.
3. Heb. 13:17 – BUT, there are also some believers who will NOT bring their spiritual leaders joy, but sorrow in that day!
a. They too will be presented before the Lord… but they will NOT bring great joy to those who watch for their souls… to their earthly shepherds… they will bring sorrow and grief.
b. The wayward sheep who refuses to respond to the care of the shepherd, breaks the shepherd’s heart.
c. If they are born again (real sheep) they will all be presented before the Lord… but instead of being presented as perfect, they will be presented as babes in Christ who SHOULD have progressed… who should have gone on to perfection, but did not… who should have grown up and produced much fruit…
d. But instead of going on to perfection, they stagnated… they regressed… became carnal, self-centered, worldly, lazy, and lived for themselves.
e. There have been quite a few such folks I have dealt with over the years. In my earlier years in the ministry, I used to get upset at them. Now, the anger has turned to grief, pity, sorrow… for them… because they are missing out on God’s best for their lives… and on rewards.
f. The shepherd grieves not for himself, but for the sheep! That sheep lost out on some valuable years of his spiritual life… ruined, wasted, never to be retrieved… wood, hay, and stubble.
g. Life is too short and too precious to waste. Use it for God! Give your all to the Lord. Put your all on the altar… whatever the price.
h. Only one life; will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.
4. All true believers will be presented before the Lord in absolute positional perfection.
a. Heb. 10:14 – For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (positionally)
b. Eph. 5:25 – ?That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
c. Jude 24 – Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy
d. Col. 1:22 – to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
e. This is all because our sin and our sins have been eternally judged and condemned once and for all and forever at the cross.
f. Forgiveness has already been granted and there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. None.
g. The believer today is robed in the very righteousness of God. (Rom. 3:22) – “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ and is unto all and upon all them that believe…”
h. This is entirely to be attributed to Christ’s work for us on the cross. He saved us to the uttermost; He perfected us forever; we have been positionally sanctified once and for all; God sees us IN His Son… robed in the righteousness of God.
i. This is entirely by grace through faith. God’s work on our behalf.
j. Positionally, we will be presented before the throne of God faultless… blameless… unreproveable in His sight.
5. But NOT every true believer will have many rewards for his life’s service on earth.
a. I Cor. 3:15 – For some believers MOST of their works will be burnt up…
b. They will have wasted most of their Christian lives… wasted on pursuing the world’s air bubbles, and the cheap trinkets and pleasures of this life… It is not necessarily evil things… just wasted… not done in the power of the Spirit of God.
c. They will be saved, but so as by fire… rescued from the world, the flesh, and sin, but by the skin of their teeth… with precious little to show for it.
d. They blew their opportunities for rewards by living for SELF rather than living for the Lord.
e. No believer will be presented before the Lord in absolute conditional perfection
f. Hence, the PURPOSE of the ministry is to goad us all along that pathway… to exhort one another daily lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin… to provoke one another to love and good works… and to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together…
The goal of Paul’s ministry: Preparing Men for the Bema
1. Paul preached Christ… that lost, condemned men might be saved.
a. The gospel ministry first seeks to bring the saving message to EVERY MAN… to the uttermost parts of the earth. (Salvation)
b. The purpose of the ministry is ultimately, that every man might be presented before the Lord… perfect in Christ. (Glorification)
c. But in the meantime… in the interim, the purpose of the ministry is to bring men to maturity in the faith—unto a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (sanctification)
2. Paul’s goal was not to get believers ready positionally to be presented before the Lord. That work was done by Christ on the cross… once and for all… and at the moment of saving faith, a man is placed IN Christ… and IN that glorious heavenly position in Him.
3. The goal of Paul’s ministry was rather to get believers prepared CONDITIONALLY to stand before the Lord… so that they would be presented as:
a. spiritual (as opposed to carnal and fleshly)
b. mature/perfect (as opposed to immature and childish)
c. complete (as opposed to having things lacking in their faith)
d. fruitful in every good work, (as opposed to barren)
e. consistently faithful (as opposed to occasionally faithful)
f. heavenly (as opposed to earthly)
g. filled with Christ-like character as opposed to being filled with self.
4. The goal: to prepare men, women, and children for that day… when we will be presented before the Bema Seat of Christ… and thus prepared for the Marriage of the Lamb.
a. There is a HUGE gap between our perfect position in Christ… and our very imperfect condition on earth…
b. Hence the need for the believer to be striving towards perfection… maturity… Christlikeness… all throughout this earthly sojourn.
c. Bridging that gap is the goal of the ministry… slowly, but steadily, consistently, and surely… from glory to glory!
d. Paul knew that he had not yet arrived at absolute perfection. He had arrived at maturity in a relative sense, but not in an absolute sense. There was still so much more ground to go!
e. If this was true of the apostle Paul, it is certainly true of the rest of us.
f. Since we have NOT yet attained absolute perfection… maturity… perfect Christlikeness… hence, there is the NEED for the ministry…
g. The goal of the ministry is NOT:
• just to fill a building with people; (reading the church growth manuals one might make that conclusion!)
• to keep folks happy and entertained; (to observe what’s going on across the country one might assume this is the goal of the ministry)
• to provide lots of social activities;
• or to provide food, clothing, and shelter;
• to provide a platform for social or political activism;
• The goal of the ministry is not to help make life on earth more comfortable. The goal of the ministry is to prepare believers for eternity in heaven!
• The goal of the ministry is to get you ready to be presented before the Bema Seat of Christ… and ultimately that formal and eternal consummation of our relationship to Christ—the Marriage of the Lamb.
h. Col. 1:22 – Paul knew that ultimately, every true believer will be presented positionally perfected.
• Col. 1:28 – But he also knew that we sheep are often lax in striving to be conditionally perfect…
• Col. 1:29 – this was the goal towards which Paul labored his entire Christian life.
5. Paul and the other apostles always kept the Bema Seat in mind as they ministered. Any faithful Bible teacher should.
a. I Thess. 3:10 – he desired to perfect that which was lacking in their faith.
b. II Cor. 13:9 – He longed for their perfection.
c. II Cor. 13:11 – He exhorted them to be perfect.
d. II Cor. 5:8-11 – knowing the terror (a sobering reverence) of standing before the Lord motivated Paul his whole life long.
• Because he knew he would one day be with the Lord, he labored… he strove… to be accepted before him, conditionally.
• He reminds the Corinthians (and us) that we must ALL stand before the Bema one day… and that we must give an account!
• Knowing this should motivate us all.
• Our present life is God’s university for His children.
• Today is the day of preparation.
• The Bema Seat is our time final exam.
• In a sense, everything we do in this life is working toward that day… when our lives will be examined by fire. It is a sobering thought. It put the fear of God in Paul. It should in us too!
e. Phil.1:9-11 – And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment?; ? 10That ye may approve? things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; ? 11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
f. I Thess. 2:11-12 – As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,? That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
g. Heb. 13:20-21 – the apostle prayed for their perfection.
h. I Pet. 1:7 – Peter’s goal was for the suffering saints to “hang in there” during their times of trial, because he knew that at the Bema Seat, it would bring rewards to them, and praise, honor, and glory to God.
• Peter was also aware of how easy it is in a time of trial to throw in the towel, capitulate to the enemy, the test… and thus LOSE the reward we could have had.
• Peter wanted something better for his readers at the Bema Seat. He wanted them all to come forth as gold… so that they would be presented as pure gold before the Bema… rather than full of dross.
i. With respect to the world, they had the Great WhiteThrone in mind… and the salvation of the lost. With respect to believers, they had the Bema Seat in mind.
j. The apostles strove to teach God’s Word so that they might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus in that day.
6. II Cor. 11:2 – to present them as a chaste virgin to Christ
a. But Paul FEARED… because being presented to Christ in perfection… maturity… is NOT a given.
b. Though the Corinthians started off well, Paul feared that they might not end well… like Solomon.
c. He feared that they would listen to the false teachers and that their progress towards maturity and Christlikeness would be hindered… as he feared for the Galatian believers.
d. He wanted to present them before the Lord as a chaste virgin, but he feared that it might not happen.
e. He feared that MUCH of their lives would be burnt up as dross… worthless… carnal… what a waste!
7. I know exactly what Paul means.
a. I have often feared for the spiritual well being of many believers who have passed through these doors over the years.
b. I have watched believers disintegrate spiritually right before my very eyes… regress spiritually… drift away… slowly, gradually… refusing help… refusing to respond to the Word.
c. Some drifted back to the pleasures of the world… like Demas. Some drifted into false teaching like Hymenaeus. Some allowed their spiritual lives to be choked out by the riches and cares of the world. Some through neglect, just lost interest in spiritual things. Some drifted away because someone offended them. Some drifted away because they were unwilling to put away a particular sin. Others drifted away because they came under the sway of some radical and extremist teaching. Some drifted away because they were no longer the center of attention.
d. For the shepherd and the rest of the sheep observing such drifting… it is heart breaking… but that is part of the ministry. Jesus too was grieved when He observed how men in His day neglected spiritual things.
e. But we don’t quit exhorting. We continue… because God says so… and because God speaks to His children THROUGH His children… as they use the Word to exhort and admonish.
f. Jas. 5:19-20 – by exhorting a brother, we might be used of God to “convert” him… bring about repentance… and perhaps save him from the misery of a multitude of sins… and perhaps save him from many wasted years… and loss of rewards…
g. Write letters. Send cards. Send emails. Include Bible verses. Visit the brethren. Have them over your home for fellowship and encouragement.
h. One little word of encouragement or challenge… just speaking a Bible verse to a brother might be all it takes to cause a brother sitting on a fence to fall over on the right side.
i. You and I can influence the spiritual lives of members of the Body… for good.
j. God can use us to prepare them to stand before Him… and receive a well down… rather than have years go up in smoke.
k. That’s the goal of the ministry in Col. 1:28.
Personal Responsibility and Cooperation
1. The pastor and teachers in the local church can provide the most nourishing food for the sheep… food which promotes spiritual health and spiritual growth.
a. But it does no good unless the sheep EAT the food… take it in… receive the Word.
b. Believers have a responsibility to RESPOND in faith and obedience… or they will be ashamed at the Bema Seat of Christ.
2. The shepherd and the sheep have a responsibility to exhort such drifters… but ultimately, it is up to the individual to RESPOND to the exhortation.
a. We are only watchmen. Our job is to blow the trumpet and warn of danger. If we remain silent, we are guilty if the sheep are destroyed.
b. But if we sound the trumpet, and the sheep refuse to respond… God holds them accountable.
c. Those sheep will experience great LOSS at the Bema Seat…
d. The GOAL of the ministry is to prepare men, women, and children for the Bema.
e. Thus, we are to keep after one another… in love… provoke one another… exhort one another…
f. We don’t want to see believers ruin their spiritual lives… or waste time… or become ensnared by the tricks of the devil. We want to see believers go on to perfection… grow up… mature… become fruitful… Christlike… and thus be presented perfect in Christ Jesus at the Bema.
g. If folks don’t respond in faith and obedience, they will NOT be prepared to stand before the Lord. They will find themselves ASHAMED at His coming.
3. The goal of this minister and this ministry is to present every man here perfect in Christ Jesus at the Bema Seat. Consider YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in that process:
a. The sheep hear the Word in the local church, but unless they are DOERS of the Word… it is not accomplishing God’s will for sanctification in their lives. (James 1:22)
b. The sheep have a responsibility to have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. (Heb. 5:14)
c. Chastening is designed for our spiritual growth, sanctification, and perfection… but it is useless unless we are EXERCISED thereby. (Heb. 12:11)
d. It is the believer’s responsibility to go on to perfection. (Heb. 6:1) God expects him to be making progress rather than regress… by implementing that which is learned.
e. The branch is required to abide in the Vine or it will bear no fruit. Apart from abiding in a close relationship to Christ, we can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
f. The believer/priest is required to give diligence to be continually adding Christian virtue to their lives. (II Pet. 1:5)
g. God expects the believer to continually press toward the mark… (Phil. 3:14)
h. God expects us as believers to minister one to another… and to function in the Body according to the ability that God gives. (I Pet. 4:10-11)
i. God expects us to be in the Word and beholding the glory of the Lord… if we want this perfection/transformation process to occur. (II Cor. 3:18)
j. God expects us all to be continually walking in the Spirit… and we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) This is OUR responsibility. This involves walking by faith; reckoning self to be dead and yet alive; yielding our members to God; and walking in the good works that He has ordained for us.
k. God expects us to be continually examining our hearts…and dealing with sin. Confessing it and forsaking it. Ask the Lord to reveal areas in our hearts that need changing… repentance. (Psa.139:23-24)
4. One day we will all be PRESENTED before the Bema Seat of Christ… placed at His disposal.
a. We ought to be presenting our old man over to the cross by faith on a daily basis… reckoning him to be dead.
b. We ought to be yielding our members over to Him today… we ought to be presenting our bodies to Him TODAY… in preparation of that final exam!
c. If we are faithful in presenting our old man to the cross, presenting our members to God, and presenting our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, then WE will be ready to be presented before the Bema.
d. Ready or not… Christ is coming… so be ready. Be prepared. Occupy till He comes!
5. And if you are NOT yet saved…
a. What are you waiting for? Swallow your pride and BELIEVE!
b. If you continue to postpone getting saved, one day soon you will be presented before the Great White Throne.
c. In that day, it will be too late to be saved. ALL those at the Great White Throne are cast into the Lake of Fire… no exceptions.
d. Today is the day to be saved. Today you are either completely and eternally saved… or you are completely and eternally lost and on your way to Hell.
e. The only escape is by being born again… you need NEW LIFE. And Christ offers it to you freely… by faith.
f. But you must RECEIVE Christ by faith. Do it today.
POSITION
The Sphere of Perfection: In Christ (Col. 1:28)
1. Perfection (maturity; spiritual growth) comes ONLY through our position in Christ…
a. One must KNOW his position… be taught in his position.
b. He must BELIEVE these truths about his position in Christ.
c. He must then REST (abide) in his glorious position…
d. By abiding in our position… Christ’s life flows through us… His fulness becomes ours… His strength, wisdom, grace, holiness, purity… REAL fruit…
2. Eph. 4:15 – grow up into Him… growth is connected to our relationship to Christ… resting In Him… abiding In Him… communing with Him… worshipping Him…
a. Spiritual growth comes as a result of our relationship to a Person… not through our efforts or merit.
b. Justification is by faith… so is sanctification by faith: FAITH in Christ… trusting in Him… resting in Him…
c. As we trust in Him… rest in Him… abide in Him… that relationship has an enormous effect on us! His LIFE is manifested through us… the fruit of Christlike character is manifested through us…
d. As we spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, beholding His glory… we are gradually changed INTO that image, from glory to glory.
e. We grow INTO HIM… perfection (maturity) comes from being IN Christ… and abiding there!
f. The branch that is NOT abiding in Christ will never bear fruit… for without Christ, we can do nothing.
g. And when genuine Holy Spirit produced fruit IS borne by us, even that is HIS work in us… not merely our work for Him.
h. Any work that we do for Him that is of any value is a result of His work in us. The branch produces NOTHING on its own. In our flesh dwells NO good thing.
i. But IN CHRIST… that branch is exceedingly fruitful!
j. IN CHRIST that branch bears complete, mature, full grown fruit… perfection is the result of our relationship to Christ. Period.
k. The believer does not grow spiritually nor does he become mature (perfected) in the faith by drawing up or following a checklist of rules and checking them off one by one.
• Music: I have all the right CDs
• Clothes: all my clothes have been approved by the board
• Words: my vocabulary has met all the requirements
• Entertainment: I only participate in the approved forms of entertainment.
• Therefore: I am mature!
• Not so! That kind of living results in self righteousness rather than spiritual maturity.
• That kind of living results in flesh glorying in its own accomplishments…
l. True Christian living is Christ in us. The Holy Spirit produces His character in us as we YIELD to Him… surrender our will to His… walk in FAITH (resting; trusting)… and are willing to follow His leading wherever it takes us…
• The end results are changes that are heartfelt…
• This results in internal changes in behavior because we want to honor Christ… we truly desire to manifest Him… we want to display HIS grace, holiness, purity, love, righteousness…
• It is not FORCING behavioral changes against our will in order to “fit in” with the expectations of men… but rather, it is a WILLING submission to the yoke of Christ… listening to music that honors Him… willing to sacrifice self in order to attend church services because we WANT to… choosing clothing to please the Lord, not self (dressing up to come to church; modest clothing; avoiding outlandish styles; etc.) refusing to support questionable Hollywood movies, NOT because they are on a taboo list, but because they dishonor Christ!
• Convictions that are our own… not someone else’s… and those are the only kind of convictions that stick.
• Changes in lifestyle that is sourced in the Holy Spirit rather than the flesh…
vi. And a life that glorifies God, rather than our own accomplishments…
3. Present every man perfect in Christ: Perfection comes from position… knowing, believing, resting, and abiding in Christ…
I Labor, Yet Not I
Paul’s Work For God
A. The Goal: Presenting Men Perfect in Christ.
1. Whereunto:
a. This refers back to verse 28, where Paul speaks the purpose of his ministry.
b. The purpose of his ministry was to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
c. Whereunto… (eis) = unto this goal… in this direction… toward this end… Paul labored.
d. Paul’s entire life’s work was directed toward that end… to see men, women, and children come to know Christ, grow in Him, mature, and become fruitful… and thus READY to be presented before the Judgment Seat.
e. In vs. 28 Paul tells us the purpose of his ministry.
f. In vs. 29 he tells us that this goal was that for which he labored diligently… and strove to accomplish.
g. The perfection of the saints was the purpose of his ministry. It was also the goal of all his labors and efforts… to present believers perfect before the Bema.
B. The Labor:
1. The term defined: (kopiw)
a. Strong’s: to grow weary, tired, exhausted (with toil or burdens or grief), to labour with wearisome effort.
b. Wuest: “to grow weary, exhausted, to labor with wearisome effort, to labor to the point of exhaustion.”
c. Lightfoot; “This word is used especially of the labor undergone by the athlete in his training.”
2. The verb: present active indicative.
a. Present: Paul worked continually… without ceasing… with this goal in mind.
b. Active: Paul was the subject of the action… HE did the work. There was nothing passive about Paul’s ministry.
c. This verb does NOT indicate God working in Paul. Rather, it speaks of Paul himself doing the work.
d. Paul worked in the ministry… and he worked hard… continually.
3. The ministry OUGHT to be hard work… in spite of all the jokes to the contrary… and I’ve heard them all!
4. Sometimes the ministry is hard work physically.
a. John 4:6 – Jesus labored to the point of exhaustion in the ministry.
• Jesus sat on the well… all alone… wearied (same word). He wasn’t pretending to be weary. He WAS weary!
• He had gone way out of His way to meet with this woman at the well, so that He might minister to her.
• He sat there all alone on the well… his disciples had gone into town; Christ was there alone… waiting for a private meeting with the Samaritan woman: a sinful, immoral woman who was presently living in sin…
• He had a long conversation with her about Living Water… and her soul’s need.
• Jesus labored hard. He walked many miles to get there.
• He broke the taboos of the people by speaking to a Samaritan woman. But His toil and labor paid off: she got saved and brought other men to Christ!
• But this work left Christ weary… exhausted.
4. Sometimes the ministry is hard work spiritually.
a. I Cor. 9:25 – striving for the mastery.
• There is agony and struggle involved in keeping oneself pure… fit for the Master’s use.
• Just as athletes exert much effort, energy, and sacrifice into their endeavors, the servant of the Lord is to do no less in a far more important race: the Christian life!
• This requires effort, battles to face, foes to face, and dealing with our sin nature on a daily basis…
• There is the struggle of trusting God moment by moment… (when the tendency is to trust in self)
• There is the struggle of trusting in God’s Word… rather than leaning on our own understanding…
• There is the struggle of keeping our old man on the cross by faith…
• There is the struggle of dealing with pride, anger, lust, greed, selfishness, worldliness, etc… facing the enemy within!
• This is fighting the good fight (the good struggle) of the faith…
• To do it well requires all the effort, dedication, and sacrifice of an Olympic athlete.
b. I Thess. 5:12 – there are men in the local church who LABOR over the flock… and their work is very rarely seen.
• This refers to the elders and their oversight. It is hard work… meeting with believers, discussing issues, problems, agonizing over the best way to treat delicate subjects; dealing with matters of discipline, studying the Word and teaching. It is hard work.
• Often the decisions are misunderstood by the flock because they are not privy to all the information that went into making the decision. Then there is hard work dealing with the aftermath.
• We might apply this to the deacons too. They sacrifice precious time too to meet and discuss the Lord’s work… keep the books… keep track of the building… fixing broken things… etc.
• There is much LABOR involved in serving God by ministering to the needs of His people.
6. The Bible is crystal clear on this point: those who serve the Lord are to work hard… diligently…
a. Ecc. 12:12 – “much study is a weariness of the flesh.”
b. I Tim. 5:17 – some elders labor in the Word and doctrine.
c. II Tim. 2:15 – studying and rightly dividing the word is work… it requires a workman… a laborer… and one who labors thus need not be ashamed (in spite of all the jokes!)
d. In I Cor. 15:10, Paul stated that he “labored more abundantly than them all!” He wasn’t boasting (as we’ll see later). He was simply stating a fact.
7. Hard work applies not only to the pastor and the missionary but it applies to ALL the servants of God in His work!
a. The Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, nursery worker, clean up crew, and every other ministry in the local church…
b. But especially so with those who labor in the Word of God.
c. Rom. 16:12 – God honors those who labor in the work of the Lord. There is a long list of men and women who worked together in the things of Christ… and worked hard. God praises their labors here.
d. Perhaps some folks here are relatively new… and have no idea of how much work is involved, and how many members it takes laboring together for the services on the Lord’s Day to function smoothly. (nursery; clean up crew; Sunday school teachers; officers meetings; making bulletins; ushering; checking the parking lot; setting up chairs; preparing for the Lord’s Table; fellowship night; clean up; preparing piano pieces; choir rehearsal; taking out the trash; mowing the lawn; etc…)
e. Have you any idea of how much work is involved in putting on a church dinner? A musical program? Building maintenance? Landscaping? A ladies’ banquet? A VBS program? Mission trip? Awana?
f. Somebody has to DO all that work. It doesn’t get done by itself.
g. That’s the way God designed the Body to function—like our human body. Lots of functions and operations are going on inside quietly and unnoticed… but they are absolutely necessary.
h. I Cor. 15:58 – “Therefore my beloved brethren, be YE steadfast, unmovable, always ABOUNDING in the work of the Lord… forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
8. Resting in the Lord does not mean that we are absolved from all responsibility to WORK for the Lord.
a. One man put it this way: “Truly to rest in God is to yield oneself up to the highest activity.”
b. When we by faith enter into God’s rest, this kind of toil and labor… while it may be physically and spiritually exhausting… it does not wear us out or burn us out. It is in fact a delight!
c. We may be physically tired in the Lord’s work… we may be emotionally drained… but at perfect peace and rest in our mind, heart, and conscience!
d. That’s God’s rest. And His rest does not mean inactivity. It means powerful service for His glory!
C. The Striving:
1. The term: agonizomai:
a. Strong’s: to enter a contest: contend in the gymnastic games. 2 to contend with adversaries, fight. 3 metaph. to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers. 4 to endeavor with strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something.
b. Wuest: To agonize, a favorite metaphor with Paul who is now a prisoner.
c. Lightfoot: to contend in athletic games.
d. I Tim. 6:12 – “fight the good fight of faith.” (same word)
e. II Tim. 4:7 – “I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course…”
f. A noun form of this term is used of the Lord in Gethsemane when He agonized over facing the cross. (Luke 22:44)
• Agonia: a struggle for victory. 1a gymnastic exercise, wrestling. 2 of severe mental struggles and emotions, agony, anguish.
• Fulfilling the will of God caused the Lord Jesus to experience great agony… but He submitted to it… and said, “Not my will but thine be done.”
• That is the spiritual struggle… (Contest or battle) we all face: learning to submit to “not my will but thine be done.”
2. Paul seemed to have SPIRITUAL toil and agony in mind.
a. Agonizing in prayer. (Col. 4:12)
b. Agonizing over souls.
c. The spiritual care (burden) of the churches on the heart of a minister. (II Cor. 11:28)
d. Agonizing over believers who are not getting along.
e. Agonizing over divisive issues that arise among the saints.
f. Agonizing over the influence of the world in the lives of believers.
g. Agonizing over the incredibly slow growth of the church… and of what seems like such little visible fruit…
h. If a pastor or missionary thinks of his ministry just as a “job”… and isn’t involved in the lives of the people… isn’t burdened for them… then the “job” is relatively easy… burden free. But when there IS a deep love for the sheep… and concern for them, for their families, for their growth… then the ministry is agonizing.
3. The ministry can be agonizing… on many different levels.
a. Gal. 4:11 – Paul poured his heart and soul into those folks… and then agonized over the fact that all his labor might be in vain… IF they listen to the false teachers.
b. It can be agonizing… discouraging to put so much effort into an individual, a family, a couple… and then see them wander away… turn sour over the local church… reject counsel…
c. It can be agonizingly discouraging to put much time and effort into witnessing to a loved one… and to see him reject it all lightly.
d. But we fight on… fighting the good fight… and we never, never, never give up!
God’s Work Through Paul
A. Paul’s Striving was God Working
1. This indicates that the work in which Paul was engaged was a work that was beyond his ability to perform!
a. He needed a power beyond himself… he needed supernatural power.
b. As a hunk of clay, Paul had no power to transform lives and to prepare men for the Judgment Seat of Christ.
c. Paul acknowledges that in carrying out this great work, it required CHRIST working in him… and through him.
d. And this is exactly what God has supplied: Christ in us the hope of glory!
e. I Cor. 15:10 – it was by God’s grace that Paul was able to labor for His name.
2. Paul’s striving was in reality GOD working in him.
a. The apostle is acknowledging his utter weakness.
b. In fact, it is only when we acknowledge our utter weakness that God’s power is free to operate in and through us!
c. Thus, Paul states that he labored and strove with great intensity in order to accomplish a task that was completely beyond his ability to perform. (saving souls; bringing men to perfection)
d. And the reason he is able to accomplish the impossible is because of the God of the impossible dwells within him… empowers him… and God accomplishes HIS perfect will through a weak, but surrendered vessel.
e. That’s all God needs… and that is the only vessel He will empower and use! He doesn’t need great talents and human strength…
f. God delights in manifesting HIS power and glory through old clay pots like us!
g. As Paul strove, he FELT weak and powerless.
• I Cor. 2:1-5 – Paul approached the Corinthians in his own weakness.
• He did not come with excellency of speech. He wasn’t trying to dazzle them with his skills in oratory.
• Vs. 2 – in fact, he avoided the “heady” issues and stuck to the basics: Christ and the cross!
• He came to them acknowledging his weakness; in fear and trembling.
• He KNEW that the task before him was entirely beyond his ability to perform: he can’t save souls!
• He was not going to argue folks into salvation; or persuade them to believe by his airtight arguments;
• Instead Paul came to them fearful… painfully aware of his own frailty… and the power of the enemy… and how easily he could revert to the flesh… trust in his own wisdom or his own strength… and thus nullify God’s power in him.
• Vs. 4 – Paul came to labor for the Lord conscious of his utter helplessness, and yielded himself to God so that THROUGH that clay pot might be demonstrated the POWER of the indwelling Spirit of God.
• Powerful things occurred as a result of Paul’s labors there: souls were saved; a church was established; believers grew into the image of Christ;
• But this was NOT a demonstration of Paul’s skills or wisdom. It was a demonstration of GOD working in him!
• So don’t be discouraged if you FEEL inadequate to teach Sunday school or serve in Awana or some other ministry. That fear is spiritually healthy… and will cause you to lean on the Lord and His strength…
• The end result of that kind of ministry is a demonstration of God’s power… unto God’s glory.
• God doesn’t need smart people; rich people; talented people; He needs and uses yielded and surrendered people… like a little boy with a lunch to offer Jesus!
h. I Pet. 4:10-11 – we labor and serve according to “the ability which God giveth.” Hence, when the work is done, God gets all the glory. It is HIS work in and through us. We are a mere vessel.
3. All of Paul’s efforts (or my efforts or yours!) in serving the Lord are absolutely useless apart from God working in us.
a. Whether we preach a sermon, sing in the choir, share the gospel, admonish a brother, or serve in a host of other ways… unless it is Christ working in us… it is wood, hay, and stubble.
b. Whatever we do on our own… in our own power, strength, in our own wisdom, according to our own “leading”… is of no value whatsoever in the Lord’s service… regardless of how humanly talented we are… or how much energy and effort we put into it.
c. It is nothing but a demonstration of the flesh… and every manifestation of the flesh is nauseous in God’s sight… for in our flesh dwells NO good thing.
B. God Worked in Paul
1. This made Paul’s ministry to people personal.
2. God works in the local in a very personal way too.
a. God works IN the shepherd of each individual flock and He leads the shepherd to preach, warn, and teach according to what that particular flock needs to hear!
b. I pray each morning that the Lord would lead me IN His Word to the passages and truths that I and the rest of the sheep at Salem Bible Church need to hear… so that the messages will be directed of the Spirit of God towards this particular body of believers.
c. Christ is the HEAD of the Body and He directs the Body from heaven… by using Spirit filled and Spirit led men.
d. Christ is IN us… and WORKS in us… to accomplish HIS will and to perform HIS works on earth.
e. This makes Body life exceptionally personal… intimate… a demonstration of God’s power… and the indwelling LIFE of Christ.
3. Hence, while there are much better preachers and Bible teachers on the radio, they are NOT led by the Spirit to feed THIS flock.
a. They can give food that is good in a generic sense… good for all sheep.
b. However, they cannot provide specific teaching that this flock needs to hear at this particular time.
c. There is an army of “Home Baptists” who don’t go to church, but stay home and listen to the good preachers on the radio.
d. And while they are able to hear some excellent messages, they are missing out on the personal element of the local church… something GOD ordained…
4. Christianity is PERSONAL… Christianity is Christ in you the hope of glory.
a. Hence, Paul not only taught the Colossians about this wonderful mystery truth. He also LIVED it… and practiced it as he conducted his ministry for the Lord.
b. Eph. 3:20-21 – according to the power that worketh in us. Hence, GOD gets all the glory for all the good that is accomplished. It was His power operating in us.
c. Eph. 3:7 – God gives us a gift and effectually works in us to use that gift.
d. He was no different than they were: Christ lived and worked in him too!
C. God Worked in Paul Mightily
1. Paul was able to accomplish whatever God wanted to accomplish through him.
2. Paul had omnipotence working in him. Whatever God led him to do, he was ABLE to perform!
3. If Paul failed to accomplish what God led him to do, it was not because of a lack of power. It was because of a lack of faith.
4. Paul never resorted to ministerial tricks and gimmicks in the Lord’s work. (I Thess. 2:3-6)
a. He didn’t HAVE to. By faith, reckoning self to be dead, he relied solely upon the power of God working in him.
b. And he found God’s power and grace to be sufficient for all. He had omnipotence on his side.
c. Why resort to trusting in that which is infinitely weaker? (flesh; human reasoning; tricks).
d. The neo-evangelicals of today resort to such tricks in the Lord’s work… because they are lacking the power of God.
e. We don’t have to rely on rock music to attract young people to church. We don’t have to rely upon polls and surveys to determine what people want in a church.
f. All we have to do is the WORK of the Lord… work diligently at what the BIBLE says to do. (Go into the world and preach)… and trust God for the outcome.
g. We do our part. We plant and water, but God gives the increase. Plant and water in faith… trusting and believing that it is God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure… and trust Him for the outcome.
h. We do the work… but it is truly God’s work in us.
5. I Cor. 3:9 – we are laborers together with God.
6. ILLUSTRATION: Fighting the battles of the Lord.
a. Ps. 33:16-22 – no king is saved by his army!
b. Ps. 44:6-8 – don’t trust in your human or earthly abilities.
c. Prov. 21:31 – The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety? is of the LORD.
d. Joshua 10
• Vs. 28- Joshua and his army fought against the city of Makkedah and smote it with their swords. It was a real battle…
• Vs. 29-30 – Joshua then fought against Libnah… and God gave them a great victory. But Joshua had to fight the battle.
• Vs. 31-32 – Then Joshua and his army came to Lachish and fought against. They engaged in a real struggle… a fight to the end. God gave them victory.
• Vs. 34-35 – Joshua then fought against Eglon… and God gave them victory.
• Vs. 38 – then Joshua fought against Debir and won a great victory.
• Vs. 40-42 – Joshua fought throughout the whole land… battle after battle. They were COMMANDED and led of the Lord in each case. And they were guaranteed victory too. They won victory because the LORD fought for them!
• God did not fight INSTEAD of them… but for them AS they took out their sword and engaged in the battle.
• As Joshua and his men OBEYED the clear command of God and walked by faith in obedience to His Word… God gave them victory after victory.
• Walking by faith… and engaging in spiritual conflicts with our enemies is God’s means of victory for us too.
• God won’t fight the battle instead of us. II Tim. 4:7-8 – Paul said, “I” have fought a good fight… Paul did not say that God fought the good fight for him. Rather, he says, “I” fought a good fight.
• WE have to fight… and we may be fearful… we may FEEL powerless… it might SEEM hopeless…
• But by faith, we BELIEVE that AS we struggle, it is really God working in us… and through us… and as we TRUST in Him, He will empower us to have victory over our spiritual foes too.
D. God Will Work in Us Mightily
1. Paul noted that as he labored, God worked in him mightily.
2. When we engage in our spiritual battles by faith, God not only works in us. He works MIGHTILY!
a. Eph .3:16 – That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
b. Eph. 3:20: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
c. Eph. 6:10 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
d. Col. 1:11 – Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.
e. All the power and might – the omnipotence of Almighty God is available to us as we face our foes and our spiritual battles. And NOTHING is too hard for the Lord.
f. There is no foe too big for the Lord to handle… THROUGH us.
g. Consider little David against Goliath. (I Sam. 17:45-47)
• David still had to fight against the giant.
• David had to gather stones; shoot his sling; and give it his all.
• And to David it probably FELT like he was fighting the battle all by himself.
• But he was trusting in God.
• Trusting in God means we are relying upon HIM to work through us… and trusting in HIM to give us the victory.
• The battle really IS the Lord’s. Oh that we might learn that lesson!
h. Victory is always attainable… IF we acknowledge our utter weakness, reject all confidence in the flesh, and walk by faith… trusting God to work in us… through us… and to give the increase!
i. If you are struggling with anger, pride, pornography, smoking, tongue, bitterness, covetousness… whatever spiritual foe you face – KEEP ON FIGHTING!
j. Agonize in the battle… and trust God. Nothing is too hard for the lord.
k. And if you lose a few skirmishes, just keep on fighting… and never, never, never give up. God can use even our times of defeat to teach us how utterly helpless we are… and to teach us to trust in Him more!
3. Are we willing to LET God work in others mightily?
a. What should our response be to a young girl who visits the church and is dressed inappropriately?
b. What should our response be to a young man who visits the church… and his body is covered in tattoos, with shrapnel hanging off his face, and has green hair?
c. What do we do when someone like that visits our church?
d. We should look them right in the eye and in the warmest, kindest, friendliest manner possible, say WELCOME friend! We’re glad you’re here! And have we got some good news for you!
e. Some would have us chase them out… ridicule their appearance… and speak disparagingly about them… and let them know that someone in those clothes is not welcome here.
f. And they will oblige us in that too… and we will never see them again… nor again have opportunity to tell them about the Savior. They may never step foot in a Bible believing church again.
g. But that’s NOT the way God would have us treat someone made in His image and someone for whom Christ died.
h. The last thing we want to convey to a person is that in order to come to God you have to clean up your life. That’s what Lordship salvation folks teach… and it is virtually the same as salvation by works.
i. Rather, we want to convey to folks that they are to come to God “just as they are”… and let GOD work in them mightily to clean up the cup. Cleaning up the cup is the RESULT or FRUIT of salvation… not a prerequisite.
j. Do we really believe that God is able to work in lives mightily?
k. And if a young girl comes dressed immodestly, ask God for grace and strength to overlook the skimpy clothing and warmly greet the PERSON…
l. And if a young man comes looking like a Hell’s Angel… or an anarchist… as God for the grace to overlook his appearance, and show concern for his soul!
m. Those people have souls too you know! God is able to save their souls… and give them new life… and turn their lives around for His glory.
n. I know because I was one… who visited a Bible preaching church back in 1972… and came dressed extremely inappropriately… and yet was warmly welcomed.
4. Are we willing to LET God change us in a mighty way?
1.) Consider the importance of this expression “through Jesus Christ” with respect to God’s plan for victory in our lives.
a.) I Cor. 15:57 – thanks be to God which giveth us the victory THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.
b.) Rom. 8:37 – we are more than conquerors THROUGH him that loved us.+
c.) Phil. 4:7 – the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds THROUGH Christ Jesus.
d.) Phil. 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
e.) I Pet. 2:5 – Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God BY Jesus Christ. (BY = dia – same as through in Heb.13:21)
Paradox:
Let Us Go On to Perfection – our responsibility – the will of man
May God Make You Perfect – God’s responsibility – the will of God
