Colossains 2:1-7

He not only made everything, He holds it all together. We talked about the mysterious force that holds atoms together. We talked about how He holds us together.

1:18 that in all things He may have the preeminence.

All these things point to one thing – Jesus is the one who holds “first place” in the Universe.

Jesus needs to be “first place” in our lives as well.

Who’s sitting in the pilot’s seat in your life? Who makes the decisions?

1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

We saw very clearly that Jesus is fully God. We looked at just a few of the many passages that show that Jesus is God.

1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

Though our sin is really bad, Jesus has made things right with God on the cross.

The great exchange occurred here where Jesus takes our sin church and in exchange He gives us his righteousness>>> Jesus is our propitiation- appease, to satisfy the requirements of the Law

So positionally when God looks upon us, He sees the Son

But practically we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling

Then through verses 23-29 we learned about the marks of the ministry and that we are all called to the ministry of reconciliation because God had reconciled us!

And we are to use our gifts, talents, and abilities to glorify God and not burying them.

We are to be proclaimers of the Gospel and live our faith out.

Remember, if the gospel is not transforming your life and doing a work inside of you, it will not come out of you!

Suffering- if you are walking it out and living a righteous life, you will suffer for his names sake

We are called to be good stewards over what the Lord has given us.

We are called to warn or admonish those who are living in sin, those that have been taken hostage to false teaching

We are called teach was has been taught us in with all wisdom

We are called to labor and strive ( agon) agonize for him.

Colossians 2:1 NKJV

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

As we start here in Chapter 2, we see the word conflict, it is clear that Paul was in conflict, other translations use the word struggle, contend, or agonize for you

Conflict-a-gon- "the inward conflict of the soul;" inward "conflict" is often the result, or the accompaniment, of outward "conflict," Phil 1:30; 1 Thess 2:2, implying a contest against spiritual foes, as well as human adversaries; so Col 2:1, "conflict," AV; RV, "(how greatly) I strive," lit., "how great a conflict I have."

The word was used to describe the competition at the Olympic Games.

Paul used a related word in the previous verse to talk about his ministry:

(Col 1:29 NKJV) To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Here is the Apostle Paul struggling, agonizing, over the church of Colossae and Laodicea

Paul did not start these churches, but yet yet was contending for them

Back in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul writes about how he was suffering for Christ, Jesus has told Paul that he would suffer for his name sake and Paul did:

2 Corinthians 11:24–28 ESV

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Church, did you see that? Paul in the midst of his suffering had great anxiety, great concern for the church!

I believe that Paul was able to carry on even in the midst of his pain, even in the midst of all of his hurt because he was not focused on himself, but on Jesus and the church!

He was not focused on himself and his pain but rather others...

And did you catch the ending of verse 2:1?

Colossians 2:1 NKJV

For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

The Apostle Paul who has Christians killed before he became a disciple of Jesus Christ, was in great struggle and agony over the church of Colossae and the sister church of Laodicea of whom he did not even know..

Laodicea – the city was located about 10 miles northwest of Colosse. You know of Laodicea as the “lukewarm” city of Revelation 3.

This is modern day Turkey, turkey...

As we’ve mentioned before, Paul was not the one who directly started the churches in Laodicea and Colosse. They were most likely started by those who had been in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.

How did Paul fight and struggle for these people if he’s never seen them?

Mostly through prayer.

Church, when is the last time your prayed for the church? When is the last time you prayed for people you do not know?

Christ died for the church and so did Paul and the boys and countless others over the years.

Are you so souled out for Jesus Christ that you are willing to die for his church?

Someone might say, “Is praying for the Colossians all Paul could do?” Well, he could write them a letter which he did. Remember, Paul was under house arrest in Rome, chained to a Roman guard. Surely Paul would have gone to the Colossians if he could but he couldn’t, so he prayed diligently for them. He was at the place where there was nothing he could do but pray. What he could not do himself, he must leave with God.

What a lesson for all Christians. When we have done all we can to right a situation or make something happen and it doesn’t come to pass, then we must leave it completely in the Lord’s hands. When time and distance and circumstances separate us from those we long to help, there is always one way left to help them and that is through prayer. God changes things through prayer.

Is the Heart of a shepherd is not only willing to lay his life down for the sheep, but he is willing to pray for the church, he is willing to pray for those he does not even know...

John 15:13 NKJV

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Let’s take a peep at how Paul was struggling in prayer:

Colossians 2:2 NKJV

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,

The first thing Paul did in prayer was that he asked God to encourage them, note that he did not pray that God would rebuke or correct them, but rather encourage them

Encouraged- para-ka-leo- to be comforted (state) v. — to be or become consoled for sorrow or distress. To come alongside, to strengthen.

The Holy Spirit is known as our comforter church...

Para-kle-tos

Para-kle-sis

John 14:16 KJV 1900

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 16:7 KJV 1900

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Check this out church:

This one is free, your in the bonus now!!!

Luke 11:9–13 NKJV

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

When is the last time you asked for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit or have asked for someone else? God promises he will give it! Or when is the last time you asked for a fresh refilling of the Holy Spirit?

When we do life and ministry, we are bing poured out as a drink offering Paul teaches us

Therefore, we must get filled back up with Him!!

So we can keep pouring out

So we can keep praying for others...

So we can share the gospel...

So we can walk circumspectly and redeem the time because the days are evil...

We are leaky cisterns that need to be constantly filled.

Ephesians 5:15–21 NKJV

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

There is no way we could walk circumspectly and speaking to one another is psalms and hymns, and spiritual sons if we do not keep on being filled>>> constantly church!

Colossians 2:2 NKJV

That there are hearts may be encouraged

That their hearts may be knit together in love

What does being knit together in love mean?

The human heart aches for such strength and encouragement, for this kind of confidence, assurance, and comfort.

Where does such strength come from? Where is the spring from which such confidence and assurance flow?

Church, strong hearts come from love—from being knit together with others in love. Think of the people (and the times we ourselves have felt) …

• all alone

• without friends

• left out

• ignored

• neglected

• bypassed

• overlooked

• disfavored

• unloved

• uncared for

A person who feels these emotions does not feel strong, confident, assured, encouraged, or strengthened, but rather the opposite.

They will feel weak, unacceptable, and incapable of handling situations.

He feels insecure, which either causes him to withdraw or react in a superior and boastful attitude.

Self-pity will begin to rise up and pride will take over

Proverbs 11:14 NKJV

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 18:1 NKJV

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.

Church, God has called us to be in fellowship with one another

We are knit together in love by being in fellowship

How can someone express love is they are not in fellowship?

The devil was attacking the church at Colossae with the heresy of the Gnostics and he is attacking the church right now.

People who isolate, more often than not, fall into sin and cannot be knit together with the rest of the body like God desires...

The point is this: the answer to a strong, encouraged, confident, assured heart is love—being knit together in love with others. This is the task of the church and its believers: to love each other—to build love among themselves—to build love among everyone, not neglecting, overlooking, or ignoring a single person. When our hearts are knit together in love, then the hearts of every believer will be strong, encouraged, braced, assured, confident, and comforted.

If the are knit together in love, then together we will be able to keep the false teachers away...

Together with the power of the Holy Spirit we can walk in victory church

We don’t fight for victory, but from victory!

Show my a person who is not in fellowship with the saints and I will show you someone who has become full of themself!!!

God’s desire for the bride of Christ, for the church, is to be knit together in love, WHY?

being knit together – symbibazō- süm-be-bä'-zo– to join together; to unite, to cause a person to unite with one in a conclusion or come to the same opinion.

One scholar says that in classical Greek this means to set a broken bone.

Church, how can one be knit together in love, united in love, if they are not together?

There are many glues that bind things together like:

Wood Glue

White Glue

Fabric Glue

Craft Glue

Super Glue

Now they have Gorilla Glue

But Paul says that:

Colossians 3:14 NKJV

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Love is the BOND of perfection

Love is the glue that holds relationships together

God is Love!

Are you being knit together in love or are you isolated and will not allow others close to you?

God’s desire for us this year, is that He knits us together in love like never before

His desire is for us to be in fellowship so we don not fall victim to self-pity and sin

He desires us together to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ

May we not forsake the assembling of ourselves and make excuses no more!

Prayer

Announcements

Are there any announcements?

Please continue praying for Kymbra, Kathy, Barbara x2, and those not with us

Mike Swenson baptism- please join us to celebrate what God is doing in his life

If anyone feels the tug from the Lord to express your commitment to him publically in baptism, please let me know and we can dunk ya as well!

Benediction

Ephesians 3:14–21 NKJV

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord Bless you!

Your Mission Starts now!

The reason Paul used this analogy is because:

Related Media

Related Sermons