Colossians 1:24-29 Do You Have Hope?

Intro:

Teresa’s Testimony

Read Colossians 1:24-27

Transition: Paul’s Ministry

This morning is Hope Sunday and the title of the message is “Do you have Hope?”

Hope is an expectation of something to come

A lot of people are losing hope because the outlook on life is getting more bleak

Paul was a person who was full of hope

This is pretty incredible to say considering he is under house arrest

His hope was found in Jesus Christ no matter his circumstances

To the Philippians he wrote

Philippians 1:21 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If he continued to live it would be spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and that gave him great joy

If he were to die he would shed all of the pain and sorrow of this earth and be in the presence of Jesus Christ

This morning we see four evidences for Paul’s hope

Suffered for the Faith vs. 24

The first way that we see we have hope is that we have suffered for the faith

This always throws people off

How do you find hope in suffering?

If you are suffering for your faith then it means you are considered a Christ follower

Jesus said that his followers would suffer for his sake

It bears witness that we are the children of God

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Diamonds are coal under pressure

Diamonds only become diamonds after they go under pressure

Benefit: Suffering brings joy

James 1:2 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

2 Corinthians 7:4 ESV

I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Servant of the Church vs. 25

The second way we see that we can have hope is that we are a servant of the church

Paul was a minister – that is, a servant of the body of Christ, the church.

He did not take this position on his own initiative, but according to the stewardship from God.

God put Paul into this position, he did not put himself.

His ministry was to make the word of God fully known to the Gentiles

He had hope because God was using him for the work of the ministry

There is a hope instilled in the saints of God when they choose allow God to use them as He wishes

Matthew 20:27–28 ESV

and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Benefit: To Be Used by God

There is a benefit from comes from being a servant of God

You will be used by God

That means when we submit to be a servant it brings purpose and direction

Solved the Mystery vs. 26- 27

The third way that we see that we have the hope of Jesus Christ is that we have solved the mystery

World’s Fastest Rubic’s Cube

In the Biblical sense, a mystery is not a riddle. It is a truth that can only be known by revelation and not by intuition.

Since the beginning of time Israel knew that God had a plan for redemption

The saints of the OT clung to this hope, which they referred to as a mystery

What is the mystery?

1 Timothy 3:16 ESV

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

The mystery was that God sent His Son to pay the price of redemption but there is more

“The mystery is this: that God had designed to grant the Gentiles the same privileges with the Jews, and make them his people who were not his people. That this is what Paul means by the mystery

We have hope because God sent his gospel to the gentiles thru Paul

Benefit: Christ Indwells You

Paul talks about “How great among the Gentiles are the riches of glory”

God chose to include those outside of Israel to experience the fulness of Christ

That means Christ indwells us through His Holy Spirit

Strengthened by the Spirit vs. 28-29

The final way we see that we have the hope of Jesus Christ is that we have been strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

Paul proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ all over the mediterranean

His goal was to present everyone as a mature Christian

He did that by warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom

This came at a cost

Paul toiled, struggled, and suffered

But he learned the key was not his own energy but the strength given by the Holy Spirit

When the Spirit led, God worked powerfully thru him

There is nothing greater in your Christian faith than to be led by the Spirit, used by God, and for it to be successful

1 Corinthians 12:11 ESV

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

That word empowered in the Greek is energeo, where we get our word energy from

It is the same word in vs. 29

Paul found great hope when he struggled with the Spirit’s energy

Benefit: Mature Faith