Colossians 1:24-2:3

A Good Enough Why

In the opening verse of today’s text, Paul declares “Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for you”

What a peculiar saying, I don’t know about you but I don’t often rejoice in my sufferings. This isn’t the kind of thing where Paul is looking back and saying ah now I see what God was doing in the midst of my suffering and rejoice. No, Paul is currently in prison, rejoicing in his sufferings. An appropriate way to reword what Paul is communicating to the church in Colossae is: what you see as suffering I see as joy. But, how is this possible?

Y’all remember being a kid and your Dad would ask you to do some chore outside? My Dad would have us pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, cleaning up Berms, mulching, digging trenches, hedging, all that stuff. There was nothing more terrible than dad knocking on my door at 8am on a Saturday to do some yard work. That was the peak of suffering as a kid.

But yanno, I had a realization last weekend. I was doing some work in my chicken coop and on my garden, getting ready for the spring. Both of these required some real manual labor and I had this moment in my garden where I was bent over, my back was killing me, I was out of breath, I was covered in actual manure, and yet, I was having the best time. It was the best.

What happened to me? How did I go from hating yard work to waking up in the morning excited to get outside? Truly, few things bring me more joy than waking up on a Saturday morning with a project to do and spending all day outside. How did I go from the kid who suffered through yard work, to being amped at buying a new lawn mower.

Then it occured to me, what I saw as suffering as a kid my Dad saw as Joy. Why?

To me I was just pulling weeds, but my Dad knew why he was pulling weeds. He had a good enough why, where what I saw as suffering he saw as joy.

For you, the thought of sharing the Gospel with the lost and searching may feel more like pulling weeds than joy. I get that. What I think we can learn from Paul in todays passage is that we have a burden to share the good news of Jesus. We know this, we know we should. Yet we don’t, why? Is it cause we are afraid of imprisonment? No… The truth is in 2025 America the enemy doesn’t need to stone us, beat us or put us in prison… all he needs to do is threaten our comfort, and we will just stay home.

So what could get us up out of our comfort to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to a broken and fading world? We need a good enough why.

And what we will see in Colossians today is several reasons WHY paul is rejoicing in suffering for the gospel. My hope is that we can all be encouraged that we have a good enough why, we have a good enough reason to step out of our comfort to share the good news of Jesus with those around us who desperately need it.

Open with me to Colossians Chapter 1.

Colossians 1:24–2:3 CSB

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church. I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me. 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. 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. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Let’s Pray.

Colossians 1:24 CSB

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church.

Here is that verse again, and look closely. “I rejoice in my sufferings FOR YOU” Paul is in a prison cell, rejoicing in his suffering because he knows WHO he is suffering for. Who he is suffering for is a good enough “why” for him to face the suffering he has endured. He is rejoicing because it is just that good of a “why”. He has boldy preached the gospel and lives have been changed and to him this was so good that what looked like suffering to the church in Colossae, Paul saw as joy.

Paul had a good enough why… He knew who he was suffering for.

When we take a look at the discomfort it will cost us to share the Gospel, are there people in our lives who are worth our discomfort so they may come to know Christ? The answer is yes. I would imagine that within you is a burden for a loved one, a friend, a co-worker to know Jesus. I imagine you would say you would do anything to see them come to know Christ. But would you dare tell them about Jesus? Are they a good enough why? Are they worth you stepping into discomfort?

Paul continues to say… and I am completing…

So Paul is okay with suffering because he knows who he is suffering for and because he knows who suffered for him. Paul knows Christ bore a cross so he could be saved, so Paul is willing to bear whatever he must so others can know Christ too.

I don’t know about you but there was a time when I knew about Christ, but I didn’t know Christ. If it wasn’t for Jesus i’d have a different story, I have a past, no doubt, I am as broken as they come and, I bet you have a past too. Even Paul had a past. Paul describes himself this way.

1 Corinthians 15:9–10 ESV

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am

In the book of acts we see Stephen a faithful follower of Christ who proclaims the gospel and then is stoned to death. Acts tells us that Paul approved of it. Paul was a persecutor of the church of Jesus christ, but by the grace of God he became God’s chosen instrument of the gospel to the gentiles. It is summed up so perfectly when Paul says… “by the grace of God I am what I am”

By the grace of God I am what I am, by the grace of God you are who you are. It was Jesus who paved the path we now walk-in with suffering.

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned, all of us have lived in rebellion against a Holy God. The wages of that sin, the bible teaches is Death. The Gospel is the radical truth that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Jesus on a Cross bore the penalty for our sin, and the wrath of God was appeased in full, so that whoever believes in the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.

Paul knew who he was suffering for, and he knew who had suffered for him. Someone paid a great price for you and for me, and praise God for it. And so when we face discomfort or suffering for the sake of the Gospel we join Jesus in his discomfort and suffering so that others may know him. Is that a good enough “why” for you? Jesus you took a cross for me, so I will bear discomfort so others may know you. Is this not a proper response?

Colossians 1:25 CSB

I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

Paul has become who’s servant? Look back verse 24, the Church’s servant. Remember Paul was a Jewish Leader who persecuted the church, it was literally his job to hunt down Christians then Jesus stopped him on the road to damascus and called him to be his chosen instrument to reach the gentiles.

So Paul is saying I have been commissioned, called by God to make the word of God fully known. Here is another reason WHY Paul rejoiced in his suffering. He knew he was called. He knew he was living into his purpose. And that was a good enough why.

Do you know you have been called? The bible teaches that we all have a part to play in making disciples. Jesus before he ascends into heaven speaks to his followers and says Matthew 28:19-20

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You too are called to go therefore and make the word of God known. Often we see church as the place where people come to know Jesus, and listen I am all for that. But what does Jesus say to the gathered people… GO. Go and make disciples everywhere. I want to see people come to know jesus at church but also, I want to see people come to know Jesus in cafeterias, offices, backyards, carpool lines, baseball games and you say well how is that possible? It is if you Go. If you accept that you are called not to simpye receive the good news of Jesus but to be sent out with it not to Africa, India, or China, but across the street.

Each of you is an individual light flickering in it’s own unique way sent out from here to light up the world with the goodness of Jesus. And here is the good news, you don’t have to be Paul. You don’t have to be Wade. You don’t have to be Jackson. You just be you. Because you have something to bring I can’t bring, God has uniquely gifted you and positioned you to wreak havoc on the darkness you inhabit.

You are called, you have an eternal purpose. What a reason to get up in the morning. What a good enough why.

What is the light you carry in the darkness?

Colossians 1:26 CSB

the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

Oooh a mystery that has now been revealed. What is this mystery??

Colossians 1:27 CSB

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

Notice what it means that God wanted to make known among the Gentiles this mystery. Jesus didn’t come just for the Jews, no he came for the gentiles too… Jesus came for ALL. Everyone. Not just for the right people. Jesus came for your neighbor who mows his lawn at 6am on a saturday, Jesus came for the parent at the baseball field who seems convinced their kid is the next Shohei Otani, Jesus came for the co-worker who seems to know all the ways to push your buttons, and yes Jesus even came for the facebook friend who thinks having 300 followers makes them a political activist.

Jesus came so that everyone, may know him. But not just know him, know Christ IN them. The good news of Jesus is not just eternity in heaven the hope of glory, it is the guarantee of Jesus in you and with you every step on this broken earth. If you know Jesus then you know the blessing of this truth.

Your neighbor, co worker, facebook friend, does not know what it means to walk with Jesus. They don’t know this beautiful mystery. Is that a good enough why?

And listen they may be the last person you want to spend eternity with, but maybe if they get a bit more of Jesus here, they won’t be so annoying in heaven. I’m joking. That’s a joke not a theological statement.

So Paul is suffering for the sake of the church yet he is rejoicing because he is sharing this great mystery that Christ has come to dwell with us here and now, until one day he returns and makes all things new. What great news. What a good enough why. A good enough why that is calling us out of our comfort into our God-given purpose.

Colossians 1:28 CSB

We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Note, maturity is the goal. Not just to get people to say a prayer or get dunked under the water, but that people would be mature in Christ. That they would KNOW Christ, truly and fully, in other words that people would be transformed.

There are people, families, broken situations all around you that need transformation. That need restoration. In the darkest spaces where all seems too far, too broken, too lost the only light that can redeem, transform, restore, is the light of the Gospel. In these places void of the truth, Jesus the way the truth and the life is their only hope whether they know it or not, and God can use you to be a light in the darkness, to be an agent of transformation. Church is seeing, people, families, and broken situations transformed a good enough why? There is truly no other hope than Jesus.

verse 29 Paul says

Colossians 1:29 CSB

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

Those words labor and striving mean hard work. The words literally translate: to work to the point of exhaustion, and agonizing. Proclaiming the truth of Jesus is hard work. It is going to cost us our comfort. And to be honest, we will all reach a point where we have been praying for someone, having conversations, laboring striving, hoping they will come to know Christ and in the midst of all of it wonder am I cut out for this? Feeling totally in over your head… Notice Pauls words… I labor, I toil, I strive with HIS strength. Who’s strength? HIS.

You are right you can’t save anyone, you alone are in over your head, you could never do enough or be enough but when you are laboring, striving with HIS strength, you will never lack an ounce of what you need to fufill whaat God has called you to do.

And let’s be clear about what he has called you to. He has called you to plant seeds. It is God who gives the growth. You understand the difference? It’s why we as a church define gospel conversations as “Sharing the good news of Jesus with the lost and searching, trusting the holy spirit with the results” Our success is not in results but in faithful sharing of the good news.

From time to time me and my friends will go downtown and street evangelize and one time my friend Sammy had described what we were doing as “putting pebbles in people’s shoes”

You know the feeling of having a pebble in your shoe you can’t help but notice it. Its a constant reminder until you deal with it.

Sometimes all we can do is bring up the conversation and once the conversation is done trust that as the pebble has been planted God knows what to do with it.

We faithfully plant seeds by the power of God within is, knowing it is his power that gives the growth.

We have a good enough why and we have the power of God empowering us in the how.

Colossians 2:1 CSB

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 wants them to know this mystery, to know Christ. The suffering is worth it to him, because he has a good enough why. In fact it is so much so a good enough why that he is not only okay with it but he is rejoicing in his suffering. See, the mark of a Christian is not prosperity, health, wealth, or the absence of suffering. The mark of a Christian is Joy in Christ. A heart that is encouraged and joined together in love, not because of circumstance but because of Christ.

And listen in this passage Paul is talking about suffering he is facing because of his work to share the gospel. And I know there are many in this room suffering, not because of the gospel, but because of the broken world we are living in.

While you may not be suffering for the gospel in the same way as Paul, you can preach a message with your suffering all the same. Paul was a master of preaching the gospel with his suffering. What message do you preach in the way you suffer? What does the way you suffer show others about Christ.

Colossians 2:2–3 CSB

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. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Church. We have a good enough why, so that others may know Christ. My challenge is that we would all go out from here sent to share the good news with the lost and searching, trusting Jesus with the results. Imagine the transformation that would occur in Nolensville if all of us had even one conversation with someone this week. Think of the seeds that could be planted, the pebbles that could be placed in shoes, think of all God could do.

If you are sitting there right now believing that you are called, that you have a good enough why, but have some questions about the how I encourage you to register for the Gospel Conversations Lab that will be on March 19 & 26, Our staff were a part of one of these labs a few weeks ago and it does a great job giving you handles on having gospel conversations. You can register now on the church calendar.

As we end this time, hopefully we are convinced that we have a good enough why, and I want to spend these last couple minutes together praying that God would give us the courage to step out of our comfort and share the good news of Jesus with the lost and searching. trusting in HIS POWER for the results.

Let’s pray.