This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Ignite the Light Ministries radio and podcast. It is our mission to help listeners develop a deeper relationship with Jesus by sharing what the Bible says and what it means. We aim to encourage and equip you to serve others, share the gospel, and reflect Christ in every aspect of your life. I'm Pastor Wyatt Cudd.
Thank you for tuning in.
So the past two weeks we have been doing our series on Colossians.
Now it was my plan to go through the entire epistle. In seven weeks. God has recently humbled me. The scripture we are doing is so rich. I don't feel that I can do it justice each week while trying to make that time frame.
I really think we're going to miss so much.
So I have decided we're going to slow down. and move at the pace of Paul's thoughts as I see them. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to be cramming so much into the sermon that it just. It's just not going to be useful to have that much all at once.
So for the sake of making each sermon as good as I can. Uh we're not going to go through the whole book of Colossians before the summer's up. I do apologize, that was my dream. And my vision, but I want to preach Colossians well and preach the scripture and not just give you Wyatt's summary of what Paul is saying. Um so The past two weeks we've been looking at this.
Last week we went over verses 15 to 23, Paul's poem of Christ's supremacy. Colossians is a letter from Paul, who is at the time in a Roman prison. He's roughly a thousand miles away from the church of Colossae, and Epaphorus, the faithful servant, made the journey from Colossae to Rome to back 2,000 miles to bring this letter to the church.
Now, the main thing Paul wants us to get, the main theme of this book is. A kingdom Perspective. seeing the world and our lives from God's point of view. We've learned that God's grace enables us to grow peace, and the fruits of peace are faith, hope. and love.
We've learned that Christ is God's ultimate expression of grace, holding ultimate reign, giving ultimate reunion with our Creator. Calling us to have ultimate resolve, ultimate dedication. Building on that, This week we'll be in Colossians 1, 24. Through chapter 2, verse 7.
So, if you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn there with me if you will.
So, this section is going to be a kingdom perspective on growing. in Christ. When we dedicate ourselves to Christ, when we give him ultimate resolve, What should we expect? Is it going to be all peaches and cream? Do I win a toaster?
Am I going to get a brand new Camaro with a lifetime supply of coffee and cake? Ooh, that sounds good.
Well, let's see. Verse 24.
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering. for you. and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking. In regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fullness.
The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed. to the Lord's people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery. Which is Christ. in you the hope of glory.
He is the one we proclaim. Admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone. Fully mature. in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend.
With all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. I want you to know how hard I am contending for you. And for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart. and united in love.
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding. In order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
So then Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him. rooted and built up. In him. strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.
So Not quite all peaches, cream and prosperity, is it? There is Suffering in here. There is striving and there is Labor. With Paul being in prison, I'm sure there is sorrow and Disappointment. But there is something here.
I can see it plain as day. There's something big.
Now, Paul's new life in Christ still has all of the aches and pains of the body and the heart. But Paul has received A lifetime supply of joy. In our walk through life, there is no easy way out of suffering. or persecution. It's going to happen.
Guaranteed. And we are all presented with A choice. We can grow bitter. Or we can grow Uh Pain and suffering has a way of showing us what we're made of. And when Christ is in us, Pain and suffering can become a catalyst to our spiritual growth.
If we are willing to let go and entrust it. to Christ. See Christ is our key to spiritual maturity. Let's say that again. Christ is our key to spiritual maturity.
So, verse 24, we're going to break this passage down here.
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering. to you. Manned this pool guy. He's a little nutty hop, rejoicing in suffering. If there was ever a time to rejoice, would it be pain and suffering?
No, see you wanna see me rejoicing? I'm gonna need chocolate cake and I'm gonna need a fat nap. Amen? Oh, that'll have me rejoicing. And the world says, surely you don't rejoice in pain and suffering.
And Paul says, watch me. My sufferings are also my God's sufferings. He's with me. And I used to think the same, but now I rejoice in what I am suffering because I'm not alone. And it's for those I love.
Verse 24: I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regards to Christ's afflictions. For the sake of his body, which is the church. He is doing this. For the church, for those he loved. Lies.
Now honestly I find the NIV a little confusing here. Paul is saying that all of these afflictions the church will bear were meant for Jesus. The New Living Translation says, For I am participating. in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.
So here's the thing. Paul is saying that suffering, it was intended for Jesus and we will bear it. When Christians are persecuted, it is because the world hated Jesus first. This is John 15, 18. If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first.
First. Since he's ascended, this suffering falls on us to bear. Jesus experienced much hatred and persecution, and the more we model Jesus, the more we will experience persecution. Paul is bearing this. For the betterment of the church.
It is a continuation. Of Christ's work started by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ's work is completed, but Paul is continuing by the Great Commission. And we are called to continue it. as well.
Matthew 28, the Great Commission. Go into all the world. to all nations. If we are truly living out the Great Commission, Persecution is guaranteed.
So count the cost. Count the costs of being a Christian. See, it's not a cakewalk. It's not for whims. We suffer for Jesus.
If we're doing it right. Paul is suffering. Why? Verse 25. He has become a servant of the church.
Suffering is married to servanthood. To serve someone, by definition, we must perform some level of sacrifice for them. Christ, the ultimate servant, paid the ultimate sacrifice. And as we grow closer to Jesus, we are to be servants of one another, making a loving sacrifice to the well-being. of each other.
Through this lens Suffering is not something to be avoided. Rather, something suffering is something to embrace. Suffering becomes this joyous badge of honor that our hearts are stone no longer. We can love each other with a heart of flesh. That can be wounded.
And that's okay, because God is the provider of grace. And Paul has joy in his suffering. Because he's serving someone he loves. He's serving the church that he loves. And his pain is meaningful.
Christ is our key to spiritual maturity.
and Christ provides purpose in the pain. Christ provides purpose in the painting. There isn't always an easy way out, but he makes it meaningful.
so that through him we can endure any hardship.
So if we're experiencing suffering, in our lives of Any flavor. Relax. God's work is playing out. Suffering and persecution is a guaranteed cost of being a disciple. It's evidence we're going.
The right way. When we suffer for Jesus, we see God Work. We see the word of God proven true.
However, And it may seem backwards, but if we aren't... experiencing suffering or persecution to some degree. Alarm bells should be going off in our head. Because Scripture guarantees it.
So I want to recap the Gnostic heresy that the Colossians are dealing with at this time. When Paul's writing this, the heresy that they're dealing with. They're kind of caught in the middle of this brewing heresy in the church. It was a false teaching. That came.
Not from outside of the church, but it kind of bubbled up from within the church. The spirit of the day had been gradually influencing and seeping in more than they knew.
So Gnosticism goes something like this. God and the spiritual things are good. Matter in the created things are evil. Jesus is just one of many of the manifestations of God, kind of like an angel. He's lower than God.
He's not divine. And there is this secret, hidden spiritual knowledge above Scripture that we have to strive for to try to work out to attain salvation. In there there's some Jewish legalism that it's not Grace by faith alone, but you have to work out your salvation. This is Gnosticism.
So Verse 25. I have become its servant. By the commission God gave me to present you the Word of God in its fullness. Paul is a servant to God. In this letter, he is declaring to the Colossians his apostolic office.
He's establishing credibility. God picked me to perform this task. He's doing so to set himself apart. From the noise of Gnosticism going on in their church. He's setting himself apart from the teaching going on.
And it isn't in character of Paul to do this often, to beat his chest of credibility. He's justifying his status. Out of necessity. It's not a boastfulness. He's separating himself.
as the one with God-given ministry. And in turn, this other philosophy going on is not.
So what makes a ministry God give it. First, Those involved must be servants of God. and aiming to make the Word of God fully known. Second, Those involved must be servants of the church. to help their brothers and sisters.
Grow in maturity.
So I'm going to give us a spiritual gut check here. Are we serving God? Is our aim to make the gospel known to the world. What practical steps Individually Are we taking towards that? Are we serving the church?
Is it our aim to help our brothers and sisters grow in maturity in Christ. And what practical steps are we taking towards serving our church? Because I'll tell you The vacation Bible school going on could Always use more help. More volunteers. And if you want to participate in that, get in contact with Brooke.
If you want to serve and invite your neighbors if they have kids, it's a great opportunity to serve God and serve the church coming up just a month from now. To strive towards the Great Commission, we can do it in our own backyard. The Word of God in its Fullness. Paul is presenting the Word of God in its complete form. Four.
Remember last week, Gnosticism says Christ is prominent. But he's not pre-imminence. That the gospel alone is not enough. There's this secret knowledge you have to work out. And Paul's saying, no.
The gospel is complete. It was finished at the cross. There's nothing left to do other than repent from sin, believe in Christ, and go and live it out. Verse 26. The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people.
That word mystery right there. It jumps out to me like it's a neon sign. Mystery, what mystery? catches my attention. Does it catch your attention?
Is it because I'm drawing attention to it? Maybe.
Well, it would have stuck out to the Colossian church as well. Gnosticism, it's working this higher mystery out. I have to do this in order to attain enlightenment.
So, Paul is doing a wordplay here to draw attention. He's saying, what are you doing, guys? The mysteries have been revealed to you in Christ.
Now you're looking to the culture you came from to fill you again. Don't you remember what you came out of? Your old life has nothing to offer. Don't go back.
Okay then, mystery. What mystery? What's the mystery?
Well, throughout the Old Testament, The biggest mystery has been How is God going to redeem Humanity. Who is he going to send? Verse 27. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery. which is Christ.
in you, the hope of glory. The mystery Our hope of glory, the long-awaited Redeemer expected throughout all the Old Testament, is. Christ. And Christ is now In you. I want to revisit Colossians 1:17 real quick.
It says, He is before all things. And in him all things hold together. Christ, the Creator of all things outside of time, outside of space, outside of our comprehension. That same Christ. is in.
You. Praise God. How can we even begin? to grasp the significance of that.
So Boredom is an interesting emotion.
Some of you might be feeling it right now. If that's you, don't raise your hand. Boredom comes from when our skill level surpasses the challenge. Challenges. Challenges engage us, they they they lock our attention and But challenges that we have mastered bore us.
They're not fun, they're not exciting. I already figured this out, I don't need to deal with this anymore.
So To give illustration, the world's top player in in chess, his name is Magnus Carlsson. He's quoted saying that he finds classical chess, the game of chess he's mastered, boring. It's boring to him. Because he's mastered it. The twinkle, twinkle little star might be engaging to a new pianist.
But Wayne, do you find that fun to play? It's it's It's, you're beyond that. Like, you are, give this man Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Give them something that's gonna make that piano smoke a little bit. That will engage you.
Like, twinkle, twinkle, I bet you're not playing it in your free time. Like,.
Okay. Things we've mastered bore us. Whether it's Carpentry, welding, business, music, chess, cooking, leadership, public speaking. Any skill out there, a certain level of mastery is possible. With enough time and with enough effort.
However, Theology is different. Because God cannot be mastered. Christ in you. That is a transcendent Unmasterable truth. Honestly, it's a guarantee you can study God your entire life and never grow bored.
Because we can never master Christ. Our master. The gospel Paul is presenting to this church has a complexity in the simplicity of what he's saying. Christ in you. Like, I understand the words, I get what he's saying, but I can't grasp that.
I can't fully understand how that works. The Church of Colossi must not have Understood the depth of what was being made plain to them. Epacarus was their leader for. 10 or so years. And now they're turning to a different teaching, to Gnostic thinking, because.
I imagine they crave mystery and wonder, something beyond. But it already exists. in the gospel. But they just can't see it. They can't recognize it.
And Paul's saying, Jesus is enough. To satisfy your desire for mystery and wonder. You don't need this other junk. It will just water down what you already have. Christ is key to our spiritual maturity, and He satisfies.
The desires, the longings of our heart. Christ. satisfies. the longings of our heart. Verse 28, he is the one we proclaim.
Admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature. in Christ. Think about the people. in your life. the people you've been in contact with this past week.
contemplate how how can How can I be presenting Those in my lives. Are those in my life mature in Christ? How can I work this out, present them mature in Christ? He is the one we proclaim. The Colossian church was being persuaded By this heresy, perhaps because they become frustrated with their pace of growth.
Maybe they felt this like Epaphorus' teaching is just a little basic, little dull, it's elementary, there's this higher mystical knowledge I have to get. They wanted to maybe enhance the gospel with new spiritual practices. And it's so easy when we face disappointment to think, ah, this whole. holding on and waiting on Jesus thing, it must not be working. How long am I going to have to wait?
How long, oh Lord, do I have to hold on? A common mantra, a saying of New Age spiritualism is something like. I need a spiritual life custom tailored to me. I need something that's going to work in my situation. They kind of want to build this Mr.
Potato Head spiritualism. I want the ear here and I want this one there. That works for my situation.
Now what they're saying is I need something that's going to keep me forever having to wait, having to endure pain, or prune the dead branches of sin. If I could just have something that never has me doing any of that, that would work in my situation. Growth in Christ. It's not there's no kind of secret strategy to it. There's no spiritual practice or some kind of hidden knowledge to attain.
Growth in Christ, there's no shortcut out of the pain. Rather, true growth in Christ is this. Keep calm. And carry on. Hey there, I hope this sermon has enriched your day.
If you like this message, I want to personally invite you to join us for Sunday worship. We have two locations in Virginia, Trinity Methodist Church in Concord and Mount Comfort Methodist Church in Appomattox. Come join us Sunday morning at 9.45 and we will help you get connected. As always, I'm Pastor Wyatt Cudd. Thank you for tuning in.
