The Mystery is About Your Maturity

Welcome

We have been working through the Book of Colossians on Sunday mornings. Last week we looked at the Mystery of Christ and discovered that the truth of the gospel was hidden from the world and only revealed in Jesus Christ. In fact, the world still seems to be confused, even though Paul tells us that the truth that was hidden has been revealed to those of us who believe in Christ and take him as our Lord and Savior.

Colossians 1:27 CSB

27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He told us in chapter 1, verse 27 that the mystery of the gospel is that we have Christ in us. Which, even as we know this and the Bible explains this to us, some of us still struggle to believe or understand this truth.

I know people who resist accepting Christ because they think that they need to change something about themselves in order to be good enough that Christ will take them in.

I have said this before, and if you’re a regular around here, you’ll hear me say it time and again...

You cannot change anything about yourself or take any action or be “good enough” to be accepted by God. The ONLY thing that you can do is accept Christ and let him present you forgiven and cleansed before God as one of his own.

The real mystery is that when we accept Christ, he puts himself within us. At that point our job is to allow him and his character (aka the Fruit of the Spirit) to flourish within us and shape us for who we need to be in order to complete the work that he is asking of us.

And that is what Paul turns to in today’s text from chapter 2 of Colossians...

Colossians 2:1–7 CSB

1 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. 3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. 6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

[pray]

I. Paul Agonized for the Gospel

When we look back at the last verse of chapter 1, we see Paul explaining to the Colossian church the extent of his struggle on their behalf, in fact on behalf of the entire church...

Colossians 1:29 CSB

29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

Paul explains that he strives at his labor for the church, using the Greek word that you might recognize in its English form, ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai), The word describes an athlete contending for a prize. Paul is pouring out all of his strength for the gospel message of Jesus Christ, that it might spread as far as possible during his remaining time on this earth.

You might be able to guess that I am not an athlete. I have never trained for an Iron Man competition or a marathon. I’ve never even signed up for a 5k amble-thon. However, I do have the distinction of having won a hamburger eating contest as a youth at our local McDonalds restaurant.

I know a few people who are avid athletes, and they tell me about the drive they have. I used to know some people that were cycling enthusiasts. They would talk about riding their bicycles of hundres of miles or training for the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred, a cycling event that draws over 13,000 riders from around the world to Wichita Falls, Texas.

That to me sounds like torture. But it could be said that these riders are contending for the prize of finishing the race.

Paul is saying that is what his calling for the gospel of Christ is like. He is spending every ounce of his effort on his goal. Pastor Warren Wiersbe translated this verse in this way, “For this I labor to the point of exhaustion, agnonizing” with the strength of God for the spread of the Gospel.

Agony is the same word that Paul uses at the beginning of chapter 2, verse 1, saying...

Colossians 2:1 CSB

1 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.

Paul is striving for these churches that have sprung up, even those that he did not start. Paul did not start the church in Colossae, Epaphras did. Paul was not only striving for the church at Colossae, but also the church at Laodicea, which was another church that he did not start and had never visited. In fact, Paul was working so that every believer of Christ in the known world could have an opportunity to grow spiritually to what the gnostics called “perfection.”

Perfection, for the gnostics, meant that the student or the disciple had advanced beyond being a novice, or immature, and was mature and aware of the secrets, or mysteries of the faith. All this talk of mysteries, was purposeful language that Paul intended as an argument against gnosticism in the church.

In verse 2, Paul describes his desire for the believers in the churches...

Colossians 2:2 CSB

2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.

Pastor Warren Wiersbe, whom I have quoted before, expounded on this with classic preacher-style alliteration. He used ‘E’ words to explain what Paul wanted for the believers...

Three Evidences of Spirtitual Maturity in Colossians 2:2 - Warren Wiersbe

Encouragement - “that their hearts might be encouraged” - Our English word encourage means “with heart.” To encourage people is to give them new heart. Shallow sympathy usually makes people feel worse, but true spiritual encouragement makes them feel better. It brings out the best in people.

Endearment - “being knit together in love” - The mature Christian loves the brethren and seeks to be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. He is a part of spiritual unity in the church. An immature person is often selfish and causes division.

Enrichment - “unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding” - Paul mentioned the riches of Christ earlier (Col. 1:27). Too many Christians are living like paupers when they could be living like kings. Mature Christians do not complain about what they don’t have. Rather, they make use of the vast resources that they do have in Jesus Christ.

Enlightenment - “full assurance of understanding” - The mature believer has assurance in his heart that he is a child of God. The spiritual knowledge that he has in Christ constantly enlightens him and directs him daily. I have often counseled believers who told me they lacked assurance of their salvation. Invariably, they have been neglecting God’s Word and living in ignorance.

[Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 123.]

II. Wisdom and Knowledge Have Their Place in our Faith

I know some pastors that put down study and diminish theological training. These pastors will sometimes say that the Holy Spirit will reveal to them what they need to preach on Sunday morning. I personally believe that the Holy Spirit guides me in my study time and I would sorely disappoint you all and let you down if I did not put a reasonable amount of study into my preparation for my messages on Sunday morning.

There may be some that believe my messages are too technical and not heart-felt for Sunday morning sermons. All I can say is that I am who I am and God made me to bring messages to this church. I do the very best that I can to bring you a studied and inspired message every Sunday morning. There is certainly a balance between the two. I can study all week long and some Sundays I get up here to preach and the Spirit encourages me to dig in more deeply on some things that I had not planned for.

When it comes to sermon preparation, I find the best rule is “Prepare well to preach the word and be ready when the Spirit leads in a new direction, because ultimately it is his message that I want for you to hear.

Paul returns to this concept of wisdom and knowledge that we discussed a few weeks ago.

Colossians 2:3–4 CSB

3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

Christ is the one who holds “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” This secret knowledge that was being brought into the church at Colossae by the gnostics, was false knowledge that was corrupting the church.

A few weeks ago we talked about Spiritual Understanding. I told you...

Three Levels of Learning: 1) Knowledge 2) Wisdom 3) Understanding

Knowledge is the first level of learning. How many of you remember back to when you were in school and you needed to study something to pass a test. Maybe you were memorizing something or trying to get some fact to stick in your brain long enough to pass a test. How many of you remember those facts still today? Some of you might remember, but many of you have forgotten those things that you crammed into your brain during a late night learning session. You might know something without believing it or accepting it and applying it to your life. Knowledge is the first level of learning.

Wisdom is an intermediate level of learning. Wisdom is generally considered to be knowledge that is underscored by experience and good judgment. One cannot be considered wise without putting some experience behind their learning. It is for this reason that many higher levels of education are connected with practical experience, which is designed to reiterate learning and help the lessons to stick for a longer period of time.

Understanding is the deepest level of learning. Understanding indicates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. It is through understanding that connections are made and application of the learning to real world experiences can be made.

This is what Paul is talking about when he talks about the “treasures of wisdom and knowlege” that hare hidden in Christ.

Paul wants the believers in Colossae (and all the other believers) to be well armed with logical and reasonable arguments that will combat any false teaching in the church.

Colossians 2:4 CSB

4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

Paul’s concern here is for the purity of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, Paul knows that he cannot be with the Colossian church, however he is striving for them in a way that is much more powerful. He is striving for them in his spirit...

Colossians 2:5 CSB

5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

He is celebrating these believers for their ordered ways and the strength of their faith.

III. Walk Your Walk in the Way You Were Taught

Just as we have been talking about in the last few weeks, Paul is encouraging the Colossian church to live their lives in a manner that is worthy of the salvation that they have received.

Colossians 2:6–7 CSB

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

I was having this conversation with one of our children here on Wednesday night. She told me that she had heard of the fires and the torment of hell and that she was afraid.

I encouraged her that her salvation would save her from the torment of hell.

I told her that her sins were forgiven and that she was safe from the burning torment. I reminded her that Christ had forgiven her sins and that she could not lose her salvation by continuing to sin. I also told her that she had the responsibility to confess her sin and put it behind her. We talked about the consequences of sin. I explained that there are unavoidable consequences when one sins and that there are consequences when others sin against us.

And finally we talked about how we gain the Fruit of the Spirit when we receive Christ and that it is our job to learn how to practice and live out these characteristics. This is something that takes our whole life to be able to do well.

Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

This is the maturity that Paul is talking about here...

Colossians 2:6–7 CSB

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

Walking in Christ is the way that we live our lives. Looking back to chapter 1, Paul talked about this in verses 10-12...

Colossians 1:10–12 CSB

10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

Walking worthy of the Lord

Fully pleasing to God

Bearing fruit in our good works

Growing in the knowledge of God

Being strengthened with the power that we gain in Christ

Doing all this with endurance and patience and joy

Thanking Father God, who invited us into the inheritance that we gain in Christ.

That’s a tall order, but Paul reminds the Colossian believers that they were taught these things and I remind you today that you have been taught.

How are you striving for—agonizing for the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Conclusion

One thing is certain about life, and that includes our spiritual growth in Christ, we never stand still. We are always moving forward or slipping backward. The old saying asks the question whether you are “green and growing or ripe and rotten”? Which one are you?

Paul says “Let’s move forward in maturity!” He is calling us to obey...

Hebrews 6:1 CSB

1 Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,

I’m reminded of the old hymn, Trust & Obey, written by John Sammis in 1887...

When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain: Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

[When we walk with the Lord - Author: John H. Sammis (1887)]

You might be here today and not know what this is that we’re talking about when we say “Walk with the Lord” or “walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord.” If that’s you, that’s okay. But it’s not okay to stay that way.

If you’re here and you’ve never taken Jesus Christ as your Lord, you can do that today.

Or you might be here today saying I do know Christ, but I don’t know how to walk with him.

Or maybe you’ve been walking with Christ so long that you’ve forgotten what’s important and what’s not.

Whatever your status is, it’s not too late to make some changes in your life and get you on the right track.

Our greatest desire for you in your Christian walk is the very same goal that Paul had for the Colossian believers and the Laodicean believers...

Maturity in Christ!