Colossians 1:21-29 - At the center of our transformation

Next week is our one year anniversary from when we launched the and I am so pumped about it.

One of my favorite things from launch Sunday last year was baptizing Shelly!

When Shelly started coming to Graceland, she had been invited by Venessa.

Shelly had been skeptical of churches because she grew up in a home where her father was abusive beyond words. She was rejected by the church because she didn’t live up to their standards, and just experienced so much suffering.

She turned Wiccan to have some understanding of the spiritual realm. She tried to experience God through nature.

Shelly is naturally a shy and quiet person, but the fear of rejection kept her away from Jesus and pushed her to worship false gods.

When she came, I learned 30 seconds prior to meeting her that she was Wiccan

I had never dealt with that before.

Stick with what you know: I ran up and hugged her and told her I was glad that she was here.

After service, she came up to me and said, “You welcomed me, and didn’t preach at me. I want to follow Jesus and join your core team”

“Why?” Just kidding. I didn’t say that.

She hung out with us for about two month, then she came over to the house with tears and said, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Shelly’s life was changed by the gospel.

She had tried to find release through Wicca, but she was truly transformed by Jesus Christ.

Big Idea: Jesus is at the center of our transformation

Stand to read

Colossians 1:21–23 ESV

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Leader: This is God’s Word.

Everyone: Thanks be to God.

Context

Who Jesus is

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Jesus is the all-powerful, ultimate authority

Jesus is enough for our salvation

By the blood of His cross, Jesus made it to where you can have a relationship with God again!

Jesus did all of these things!

Now Paul adjusts His focus to our prior reality.

You were once (v. 21)

Alienated

Paul is writing to non-Jews

Before Jesus came along, Gentiles were not to get anywhere near the important areas in the Temple

They were restricted from approaching God.

They were not permitted to have a relationship with their Creator.

More than that, they were enemies of God.

Hostile in mind

You were enemies of God, because of your evil lives.

They were not just enemies of God because they weren’t Jewish, they were enemies because they were sinners.

For Gentiles, there was a double doom

They were excluded because of their race and their lifestyles

This is also your story

You were at one time alienated from God because you were born into sin and continued to live in rebellion against God.

At one time, we pursued a lifestyle that was contrary to the authority of God.

We have all sinned against God and run in our own way.

We’ve chased after other things we hoped would satisfy us

Money, status, drugs, sex, sports

We’ve worshipped ourselves, our spouses, our children

We have not honored God and glorified Him.

This is true of everyone of us

It’s true of some of you today.

But Paul doesn’t stop there!

The focus shifts from “And you were” to “He has now”

Gospel presentation

He has now (v. 22)

Jesus has reconciled your wicked sins in His death!

When Jesus went to the cross, He went having never sinned!

Jesus was who we were supposed to be!

Perfect, blameless, and holy!

Jesus not only died so that you can be forgiven

Jesus died to present us holy and blameless before God!

We’re not forgiven to continue in sin

We’re forgiven to be accepted by God!

This is your reality when you put your faith and trust in Jesus!

Jesus laid His life down on the cross so that you wouldn’t have to live guilty anymore, but you can live holy before God!

For the believer, there’s three parts to our story

Who we were

What Jesus did

Who we are now

Church,

We are transformed by Jesus

Notice that this is not because of your own goodness.

You didn’t earn this.

This isn’t your own ability to be good.

Look at me: You’re not going to heaven because you’re good.

You are really bad at being good.

The only way you can go to heaven is to be made right with God by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If you’re not a Christian, you can be reconciled to God by believing in Jesus’s work on the cross!

You can be transformed today.

You don’t have to be who you were because Jesus can transform you to who He called you to be.

So now,

What were were transformed to do?

Colossians 1:24–25 ESV

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

Explanation

Paul turns his attention to his suffering.

He became a minister of the gospel who rejoices in his suffering.

Think about what Paul’s autopsy might look like.

He was stoned in Lystra, to the point where the people assaulting him though he was dead! “Job done!”

He was flogged and beaten in prison

Shipwrecked on more than one occasion

If the mortician didn’t know Paul, he’d likely think he was something out of the Walking Dead.

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings” (v. 24)

Paul doesn’t take pleasure in the suffering itself—He’d have some sort of disorder.

Why endure this hardship?

Silas has been having a hard time leaving one place to go to another since we’ve been in Cincy

He doesn’t want to leave whoever he’s with.

I went back to work on Tuesday, so I was taking him to Q

Silas: Why do you go to work?

To become a millionaire because the lottery isn’t an option.

To make money to buy toys, to pay the mortgage, to buy food

Me: “For you”

I don’t go to work for a hobby, or status, or the need for personal fulfillment

I go to work to provide for my family, to ensure their flourishing.

I go to work to provide a home for them and food.

I told him, “I go to work for you.”

To Paul the answer is simple: “For you.”

He is doing it because it is part of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to Gentiles.

Paul rejoices that people are coming to know Jesus regardless of the suffering.

“to make the word of God fully known” (v. 25)

His suffering is a price worthy paying for the joy to lead people back to God.

Paul seeks to make God’s Word fully known because God has revealed a mystery that was hidden for ages.

What is the mystery?

Colossians 1:26–27 ESV

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

This mystery, “Christ in you”

Through the Holy Spirit, we have the privilege to be united with Christ.

We are rescued out of a life marked by opposition to Christ and are drawn into a life defined by an ongoing relationship with God.

This is more than just a spiritual experience that comes and goes

Jesus is now up close and personal.

If you are a Christian, then Jesus’s Spirit dwells within you now.

God is here, with us and in us.

This is the glorious privilege of being a Christian!

Not that we get to be considered religious or have something to do on Sunday

Not because we are blessed beyond imagine with money or stuff

The glorious privilege is that we get God!

There is never a moment that God forsakes us!

There is no space where He leaves us!

In suffering, in our fails, in our falls

There has never been someone more consistently grabbing me by the face and say, “I’m not going anywhere.”

This mystery is revealed in God’s Word.

There is no greater reality than being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

If you’re not a Christian, this reality can be yours today.

You can have the hope of glory through trusting in Jesus.

Nothing else will satisfy the needs of your life, the anxieties you face like living in a relationship with God through His Word and the presence of His Spirit dwelling within you.

Paul was changed to reveal the mystery of Christ, that was revealed in the word!

God has made the mystery of salvation known in the word

This is why Church,

We make God’s Word fully known

this is why we study God word, this is why we preach God word, this is why we sing God‘s word!

Through His Word, God reveals Himself to us and His will for our lives.

It’s through the preaching of the Word of God that people come to know and love Jesus.

Not our ideologies and philosophies of who Jesus might be

But who He truly is as revealed in His Word!

If my wife writes a biography about me and I write an autobiography, which would you be more likely to read?

Hilary’s because she won’t paint you up to be something you’re not.

Or mine, because it would contain my thoughts, feelings, my will for my wife, kids, church, etc.

You’re going to get more of me than has been revealed to my wife before!

There are many people you know that have a dim understanding of Jesus.

Perhaps they grew up around the church and got distracted by traditions and church people, so they missed Jesus.

Perhaps they have wrongly viewed the church and wrongly viewed Jesus.

There are people you know that have a low view of Jesus.

They don’t think they need Him

They’re too proud to recognize their need of a Savior.

They don’t think Jesus is big enough to save them

As if they’ve outsinned the grace of Jesus

There are so many people that have a smeared view of Jesus

I was talking with a guy this week and he told me that he’s just not ready to come to church yet

I said why?

He felt that he needed to live a certain way in order to be able to come, but he tries to be a good person anyway.

He told me that he tries to do the right thing, but then one bad day sets him back.

He talked about the notion of being a “good Christian.”

I told him I don’t believe in such a thing.

A “good Christian” is an oxymoron.

If I were able to be “good enough” I wouldn’t need Jesus.

I want to be a Christian because I can’t be good because I’m a sinner!

This is why Paul wants to make the Word of God fully known!

Not because we fully understand Jesus, but because the Scriptures reveal Him sufficiently!

They give us everything we need to know about Jesus!

Jesus is the Savior who overcame the grave by dying on the cross and rising again so that you can be set free!

This is a gospel worth suffering for.

This is a gospel worth telling the whole world.

This is a Savior worth following.

This Jesus transforms lives completely.

Jesus died on the cross to present us holy to God!

It’s not through our righteousness, as many people misunderstand

It’s through Jesus’s righteousness!

The focus of our transformation is Christ.

Look what Paul says next

Colossians 1:28–29 ESV

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The focus of our transformation

is not a spirituality

is not a religion

is not a program of social reform

It’s a person.

“Him, we proclaim”

He is the message!

We proclaim the gospel to everyone, friends, family, and neighbors for a goal!

“that we may present everyone mature in Christ”

Paul says “everyone!”

No one is beyond hope!

Anyone and everyone can enjoy being transformed by the gospel

He doesn’t discriminate in who he shares the gospel with, so he doesn’t discriminate about who has the potential to be mature in the faith!

If you are a Christian, the goal is grow to be mature in Christ.

This is true of everyone who comes here

As a Church,

We make disciples of Jesus

Our goal as a church is to help people follow Jesus.

If you have been changed by Jesus, you have been changed to see more people changed by Jesus.

Someone shared the gospel with you.

You heard the Word of God and the Spirit of God worked in your soul

He gave you faith in Christ

He transformed you

He gave you new life.

Now, He intends to raise you up to make more disciples because there are people who do not know Him.

This does not mean you have to have all the theological answers or to be a perfect person.

This simply means you desire to grow in your love and knowledge of Jesus.

This means you want to see your friends, family, and neighbors lives changed

We want them to have the same hope of eternal life that we have.

We want them to have the same joy in Jesus that we have.

This means we have work to do.

We’ve been transformed by Jesus to make God’s Word fully known and to make disciples.

How do we do that this week?

Take the Next Step

Resolve to take the next step

Tell someone what you’ve been reading in the Bible

If you haven’t read anything—Start! Develop a Bible reading plan.

Monday, read John 1. Tuesday, read John 2.

Invite someone to follow Jesus with you.

Just simply invite them to come to church with you.

Venessa invited her niece, Shelly.

Shelly was radically transformed by Jesus and now she serves with our tech team.

She is a major gift to our church.

Shelly just rekindled a relationship with her dad

He was a mongrel to her growing up.

Shelly came to me last week and told me, “I wanted to invite my dad to church, and I was so nervous of being rejected.”

Shelly just invited her dad to church next week to celebrate the gospel with us.

Venessa invited Shelly in, Shelly became a disciple who is actively seeking to make disciples.

This is the transformation that Jesus has to offer.

Get in on what God is doing through Graceland.

One year anniversary is coming up.

“You should come with me!”