Colossians 1: The Hope of Glory

Colossians 1:24-29

Ministry is hard. Serving others can be difficult.

For others to live. We must die to ourselves.

For others to be blessed, we must sacrifice something.

For others to receive healing, we may have to suffer.

For others to be built up, we must humble ourselves, be lowly, and serve.

This is ministry.

Paul was a servant. Paul was a minister of God, a preacher/teacher… But he was a servant first.

Serving was not beneath Paul. I love that quote: “If serving is beneath you, leadership is beyond you.”

Paul was a servant first, a deacon first, a bondservant first.

Paul was used greatly by God, and we love to talk about the healings, the salvations, and the church plants. We love to talk about Damascus Road experience, and demons being cast out...

But the thing we do not want to talk about is this: Paul suffered greatly for the faith. Paul suffered greatly throughout all these other events that we love to talk about.

Acts 9:15-16 - Jesus said that Paul was His chosen vessel… and Jesus will show Paul how many things he must suffer for Jesus’ Name sake.

In order for others to live, he Paul to die to self. In order for others to be blessed, he sacrificed himself.

This is ministry.

This is where ministry will take us. For the sake of Christ and others we will experience the pain of sacrifice.

Verse 24 - This suffering is for you… this suffering is for the church… the Body of Christ...

Philippians 1:21-24 - For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor… I am hard pressed between going to Christ and being with you… I know that i shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.

If I live, I will live to serve Christ by ministering, serving, preaching and teaching… So that Christ will be formed in you, that you will have the hope of glory in you.

That is where all of this ministering, serving, preaching, and teaching is going.

So that… you will have the hope of glory in you.

For Paul, for preachers and teachers… we preach and we teach the whole counsel of God. We preach and teach all that God has said. We go from Genesis to Revelation, expounding the Word of God.

Moms and dads surround their children in the home with the Word of God...

Verse 28 - We do this to warn every person… and we do this to build up every believer, teaching them in all wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

The whole Bible with the Spirit of God will make a whole Christian.

In the home, with our families… And in the churches... We open our Bibles and surround our families with the Word of God and teach them what God has spoken.

We want to warn and build up our family members. We desire to build them up is all godly wisdom, knowledge and understanding...

It does not end with salvation… It begins with salvation.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - The Word of God will make you wise for salvation… It is given and it profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that everyone may be complete, equipped for every good work.

We desire that our loved ones lack nothing. We desire for God’s children, God’s people, to have the Spirit of Christ inside of them, the Hope of eternal glory inside of them...

And we want them all mature, stable, joyful, and full of faith.

That is what we are doing as we minister. This is where ministry is leading people.

This is our aim and goal...

But let us talk about the minister, or the servant who is serving others:

How can we give what we do not have? How can we stay at it, endure, and continue to minister, stay spiritually healthy, stable, joyful, and full of faith?

Maybe the answer is found in verse 29: “To this end I also labor… striving according to His working… which works in me mightily...

There is power flowing out of Paul so that he can serve.

Now Newsflash: Ministry is hard. Pastoring is hard. Laying down your lives and sacrificing self is hard. Laying down your time, your energy, your talents, and abilities… to help someone else experience benefit and blessing is hard work… and suffering will always come with the territory of Christian ministry.

There are various degrees of the suffering. Paul was experiencing beatings, prison time, and ship wrecks.

Our sufferings may not compare with Paul’s… but every person who desires to serve others for Christ, will suffer to some degree.

So how can we endure the suffering… while we continue to serve the believer and unbeliever?

John 15:4 - Christ says… You are going to have to stay close to Me. Apart from Me you can do nothing. You must draw your spiritual energy, your life, your passion, satisfaction, joy, and love from Me.

Why? Because your bucket is going to leak. Because your tank is going to run out of gas. Your body cannot run on yesterdays food. Your car cannot run on last months gas. It is gone. You need more.

God did not set up the Christian life for us to be independent. God did not set it up for us to get revived one time, filled up one time, renewed one time… and this keeps us going forever.

God has set up the Christian life so that we are dependent of Him… on a daily basis.

God has set it up for us to run to Him for life and living.

We are going to be poured out. We are going to run out. We can be depleted.

The Good News is… we don’t have to.

The Servant of God, can be renewed daily… and be continuously filled up.

What are some of those means of filling back up and being renewed?

Pray without ceasing. 2. Continue to renew your minds through the Word of God (Be renewed daily). 3. Confess and Repent of sin daily (do not grieve or quench the Spirit). 4. Praise and worship God on a daily basis. 5. Obeying the Spirit of God as He leads you.

This is our daily practice. This is our daily… going to the gas pump, the spiritual grocery store.

Now you are in a position to be poured out… as you are filled with the Spirit to serve others.

Ministry requires giving… Make sure that you have something to give.

Are we running on fumes...? Are we at the point of burn out?

What’s my problem?

Time to go back to the Fountain and fill up.

Paul is giving all he has, because he has more to give… By the power working within himself.

God will supply the power, the grace and the love… But remember that He is the Source.

Ministry is not God. Ministry is not the Fountain.

Ministry is serving Christ and serving others.

Ministry is work. Ministry is sacrifice. Ministry is not suppose to fully satisfy me...

Only Christ can do that.

And then we take from Jesus, and then we are able to serve others for Jesus, and be effective, as we persevere. Then we can enjoy ministry as we sacrifice.

We are all ministers.

Ministry, serving others, is going to be a sacrifice… and this will be painful.

Why do we minister: We do it for Jesus.

Where we are taking people, by God’s Spirit working in us?

This week as we minister:They are going to experience Christ. They are going to experience hope. They are going to experience a maturity, that will lead them to a stable, and joyful life… a life that is full of faith.

This is where our ministry will lead them...

But if we are out of gas and in need of God’s power to refresh us again this week...

There is only one place to find it: At Jesus’ feet.

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