What is Your More?

Colossians 1:1-15

INTRODUCTION

Actor Matthew McConaughey has a popular reel on social media currently. In it, he asks, “What is your more?” He is asking what you want more of in your life: happiness, joy, satisfaction, peace, and love. It's meant to be an inspirational clip that motivates you to seek the things in your life you should want more of. What is your more?

Of course, in our culture, that resonates easily as we are a society of more. We want more, more of everything. There’s never enough. Yeah, we want more happiness, joy, satisfaction, peace, and love. Truthfully we are never satisfied. We want more wealth and possessions. We want more stuff and zeros in our bank accounts.

And it seems that we want more than what the Bible says we should want or need. The growth of the prosperity gospel, fringe Pentecostal movements, feel-good gospels, and Christian theocracy point to a mentality that we want more than what the Bible says. This idea that more is better isn’t new. Paul saw it as Christianity began to grow. He saw it in a church in the first century and wrote a letter to warn of its problem. The problem of wanting more isn’t just an American issue. We have struggled with it since the times of Jesus.

Colossians 1:1–15 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS

This is Paul’s and Timothy’s opening of their letter to the church in Colosse. Paul begins the letter in a way that displays his standing because, in this book, he has to address a brewing controversy. The exact nature and origin of what is called “the Colossian heresy” is still discussed and debated somewhat, but what we do know is that it eventually became gnosticism. This heresy was a mixture of Judaizing, secret knowledge, and that Jesus was one of many spirits flowing out of God. Basically, it was saying you need something more than Jesus. When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he was countering a clever collection of false doctrines that sought to replace the Colossians’ enthusiastic devotion to Christ with only a mild approval of him.

Verses 1-2

This letter had two writers, Paul and Timothy, although later, the epistle clarifies that Paul was the primary writer. Here, he identified himself as an apostle. The title appears in most of the Pauline writings, and it provides a reference point for understanding Paul. Thanksgivings to God or gods were customary in the openings of ancient letters.

A unique phrase here is “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ.” That phrase is meant to grab their attention as Paul is saying “To be in Christ is to be incorporated in him so that he encompasses the entire life of the believer, that the Colossians are exclusively joined to Jesus and to no other, that Jesus determines the behavior of believers, and that being in Christ gives Christians their true identity beyond their race, nationality, or clan.” Paul is subtly countering the idea that one needs something more than Jesus.

Verses 3-8

As Paul begins his letter to the believers at Colosse, he does not immediately take on the false teachers and their teachings. First, he tells the truth about the gospel and its positive effects on the lives of the Colossians.

Paul lists three virtues in these verses. He points out three fundamental traits of Christian character that ought to be evident in the life of those in whom the gospel has taken root: faith, love, and hope. These virtues should be increasingly evident in our lives if the seed is doing what it is designed to do. Faith begins the process.

Paul is initially thankful for the saving faith of the Colossian believers. Faith is being persuaded or convinced that something is true and trusting it with your life. This faith is in Jesus Christ.

But faith is only the beginning. Faith in Jesus Christ should produce inclusive love for others in the faith. The false teachers at Colosse were telling the Colossians that the evidence of spirituality was keeping Jewish rules, being initiated into secret knowledge, or having mystic experiences. Paul counters this by saying that the real fruit of faith is love. Paul specifically says that it is love for all the saints. It’s easy to love the lovely or those who love you. Genuine Christianity is evident when we love the undeserving the same way God has loved us. Love is not a feeling; it is an attitude and an action. Love is sincerely wishing for another person’s best interest and taking whatever action is necessary to see that it is accomplished. True disciples of Christ, inspired by love, intend every action to bring benefits to others.

A sure hope is the source of faith and love. What is interesting in this formulation is that hope is not grounded in faith, but the reverse—faith is grounded in hope. “Hope,” therefore, does not refer to the “subjective attitude of expectation.” Rather, it refers to the thing hoped for in a sense of certainty one day.

Verses 9-11

Paul’s letter to the Colossians began with a prayer of thanksgiving. That prayer, based on Epaphras's good report, reminded the Colossian believers of the power of the gospel so they would not be seduced by the siren song of heresy. The theme of prayer continues here, but the focus shifts from thanksgiving to intercession. Paul prays that the believers will live lives that are pleasing to God.

If pleasing God is the goal, how do we achieve it? Paul spells that out very clearly in these verses. We please God by bearing fruit, growing in knowledge, being strengthened for adversity, and giving thanks for salvation.

Verses 12-15

The word “Redemption” means freeing a slave by paying a price for that slave. In the Old Testament, God redeemed Israel from their slavery in Egypt by the blood of the firstborn and the lamb. This would fit the image of transferring a captive people from one realm to another which Paul describes in verses 12 and 13.

Now, verse 15 seems to start a new section. However, remember that these title breaks are a modern addition to help us categorize scriptures. Originally, they were all written together.

Jesus is the image of God. The word for image was used in Paul’s time for likenesses placed on coins, portraits, and for statues. It carries the idea of correspondence to the original. It is the nearest equivalent in ancient Greek to our modern photograph. Jesus is the perfect representation of God.

Not only is Jesus the perfect picture of God, but he also holds the highest rank in the universe. Jesus is the firstborn over all creation. Firstborn is a term of rank more than it is a word of time. Jesus is the firstborn, the highest rank, in all of creation.

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

There's Nothing More We Need to Add to Jesus. Jesus is Our Only Hope.

APPLICATION

Paul had never met the men and women at the church in Colossae. They were converted through the ministry of Epaphras, who was converted in Paul’s ministry at Ephesus. So Paul is preaching in Ephesus, Epaphras is converted, Epaphras loves his people back in Colossae, travels back, preaches the gospel, and plants the church. So Paul is in prison right now, but he wants to come meet them. Paul has heard about this church, and he wrote this letter in response to some of what he heard. In this remote area had appeared the first symptoms of a heretical movement, so well known under its later name of Gnosticism, whose outbreak in this region St. Paul had already predicted in Acts 20.

Gnosticism shared some characteristics with Judaism and Christianity but remained markedly distinct from either. There were three common beliefs of Gnosticism. First the idea of secret knowledge. The Gnostics believed that they alone possessed additional and secret insight into the true manner of salvation, while all those outside their community lacked such knowledge and thus also lacked a path to true salvation.

Secondly, they believed in a dualistic approach to the world. In their system, the body and physical world were evil while the spiritual realm was pure and good. In other words, you are two different beings: one good and one bad.

Thirdly, they believe that God has many different spirits as His revelation. God has sent more than Jesus. This belief, in particular, of adding more to Jesus seems to have started around the Colossian church.

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he was countering a clever company of false teachers who sought to replace the Colossians’ enthusiastic exclusive devotion to Christ by diluting it. They didn’t encourage anyone to forget Jesus altogether; they just said he wasn’t the only show in town. According to these false teachers, Jesus got equal billing with a vast number of emanating spirits all coming from God. They said Jesus could be prominent, but he certainly wasn’t preeminent. In contrast, Paul, along with telling believers the truth about the gospel and pleasing God, tells us the truth about Jesus.

The Colossians are saying, “Yes, Jesus. Jesus is our main man. We believe in him, and we love him. But, my next-door neighbor is a Jewish mystic and, he prays so much than I do. And so I’m gonna borrow a little bit of his stuff. Jesus is still my main guy, but I’m gonna borrow a little bit of Jewish mysticism here. And then my other neighbor, he’s a druid. And outside of some weird animal stuff I’ve seen at night, he really loves his family well. So I’m going to borrow a little bit from this and a little bit this, and with Jesus as my main man, I’m going to create this kind of new thing that makes sure I’m saved.” Paul’s is trying to counter this growing controversy. Paul’s bottom-line message to the church was to hold on firmly and solely to Christ rather than rely on pseudo-spiritualistic practices and beliefs. Paul says that the faith and love everyone is looking for is found in the hope of Jesus. The Colossians were placing their hope in something besides Jesus. Jesus plus something else, however, never leads to hope because Jesus is the only hope we have. We should never dilute that hope by adding anything else.

There's Nothing More We Need to Add to Jesus. Jesus is Our Only Hope.

CONCLUSION

Where have you put your hope? The bulk of humanity puts their hope in this, “ I love Jesus, but I’m a good guy too.” When someone says, “I’m a good guy,” my first question is, “Compared to what?” Because if you’re a thinker on any level, you have to admit that’s somewhat of a silly game. So God is going to give you whatever the afterlife holds, in regards to goodness, because you’re not the schmuck your neighbor is? That’s where you’re pushing all your chips? You’re pushing all your chips into, “I love my wife better than my neighbor does.… I take care of my kids better than my neighbor does?” The scary part of the Bible is not that God judges our wickedness. It’s that He sees our righteousness as filthy rags. Compared to the holiness of God, it’s your goodness that falls short. It’s not just your wickedness that condemns you. It’s your goodness that condemns too. See why you need the cross so badly? See why Jesus better had paid the bill? Because all your righteous acts are filthy before Him.

So my question is, “Where is your hope?” Where are you putting it? Is it in living as well as you can with the one life you’ve been given? Man, that is a monumental roll of the dice. You are a much bigger risk-taker than I am. Where is your hope? Where are you putting it? Are putting it in your own goodness? Your goodness will fall short. It will fail you. I think if you’d just stop and breathe, you’d figure that out for yourself. Adding your goodness to the equation of hope based on your works saving you, will fail you.

There's Nothing More We Need to Add to Jesus. Jesus is Our Only Hope.

The other place people try to put their hope is in trying to get all that you can. You know, that Carpe diem, “Seize the day. Get all out of life that you can. There’s one life live it to the full, live the great adventure.” You know that kind of idea. It’s just another philosophy that falls flat. In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon says, “Look, I’m a king. I’m wealthier than you’ve ever been. I’ve done all of these things. I partied so big that the parties at my house would require us to kill a hundred cattle to feed everyone.” So I’m not saying you haven’t thrown a couple of soirées in your day. I’m just saying it was a ghetto little sad party compared to what Solomon threw. In regards to wealth, women, power, and business, Solomon goes far beyond what any of us are going to be able to, even combined. And so Solomon says after he does it all, “It doesn’t work. It’s meaningless. It doesn’t satisfy the soul.” According to Ecclesiastes, Solomon went high-brow for a time. So he did caviar and champagne. Then He went low brow for a time. He went mac-and-cheese and hotdogs and NASCAR. He tries out both lifestyles.

Solomon does both. Because rich people go, “Oh if my life was just more simple and I didn’t have to manage all this wealth.” And poor people go, “Oh, if I could just have some more wealth and could get what I needed, then I would be satisfied.” And Solomon goes, “No, no, no. I did both. Neither works.” Solomon is asking the same question Paul is asking, which I am echoing: “Where is your hope?” Where are you putting all of your chips when it comes to life, eternity, and your relationship with God? Where is your hope?

There's Nothing More We Need to Add to Jesus. Jesus is Our Only Hope.

Sin had created a horribly unnatural separation between God and us. God created people to dwell in loving and worshipful moment-by-moment fellowship with him. People were not designed to live independently. They were not made to figure life out on their own pursuing material and financial wealth. People were meant to live according to God’s will and for his glory. The great question of human history was, “How will this gulf between people and God ever be bridged?” Jesus came as the only possible answer to this question.

Jesus is our hope because of our faith in Him, and what He did can be counted to you as righteousness. Your slate is wiped clean. You are declared “not guilty!”

You don’t need nor can you add or contribute to your salvation. There’s nothing more for you to add. Your good deeds aren’t as good as you think. Your material possessions and wealth will all be dust one day. I’ve said before everything you own, including that most prized possession, will one day find a home at a yard sale, Good will Store, and landfill. None of it can or even help save you. Jesus is our only hope.

Jesus to conquer the ultimate result of sin: death. He came as life to defeat the power of death and ignite eternal life in the hearts of his redeemed children.

Hope in the here and now and hope in the great forever that is to come rests on one set of shoulders. It rests on the mighty shoulders of Jesus, who is for you today the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He offers you what you have no power to provide for yourself: a restored relationship with God and a life that will never end. How’s that for hope?

Trust in Him. There’s nothing more you need to add. Whatever you think your more is to add to Jesus, don’t. Let your hope be in Him and Him alone. He is enough. Live in His presence. Rest in His Promises.

There's Nothing More We Need to Add to Jesus. Jesus is Our Only Hope.