We Do Not Labor In Vain

Welcome Dennis is sick

2nd Service-Children

Me: Frustrated in feeling like laboring in vain

Not seeing anything happen right away

Sometimes in studies

Practicing

And I am sure this is not something I am alone in.

We: We all feel this sometimes and we simply may not see what is happening

At work

Homework or worksheets developing skills.

But when we serve God, we can be assured that what we do is never truly in vain.

We suffer and struggle for the hope of glory.

God:

Before we dig into this passage, Col 1:24-29, lets pray.

Now may the words of my mouth and meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight o lord our rock and our redeemer.

Background

Paul’s suffering is his being in jail

Writing to correct false teaching

Opens it setting a powerful foundation

Paul does not know them directly, but knows them through others.

Colossians 1:24–29 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, 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. 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.

God Has Sent Us

We do not go randomly and possibly more important we do not suffer randomly

Rejoice when we suffer for the church’s sake

Martyrs

One of the greatest lies we tell ourselves is that suffering is random

Our pain and struggles has a purpose. That does not mean we celebrate the suffering itself, rather we rejoice in what comes from it. That is what we see here from Paul. We know that God teaches us, shapes us, and teaches others or encourages others through these different circumstances, and even gives us opportunities to serve better.

I celebrate all of my toils because of what God has done through it

The car being stolen right after moving to Texas,

Spiritual warfare

Financial and social struggles all through seminary.

Others go through issues at work, various forms of abuse, and various illnesses.

But all of these things can work for God's good when we seek to serve him well then we remember that we do not suffer randomly

Psalm 22:1 ESV

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

We need to remember that we suffer and struggle for the hope of glory

It is from God’s stewardship

We become ministers according to the stewardship of God

Not just full-time are ministers or office hold, we are all ministers

We're being used for God's purposes

He is using each of us in our given role. We are many parts of 1 body. Different talents and skills.

What God has given us is to be used for his Kingdom. That may be resources, but is also in the ministry he has given us.

Skills he has given and cultivated in us

Remember again that we suffer and struggle for the hope of glory

We Carry the Revealed Mystery

Our mission

So each of us, as one body together but different parts, do we have a unified vision?

God has made his mysteries known overtime eventually culminating in Christ in the church

Our ministry is carrying this revealed mystery

The way this is acted out may look different for each of us.

We all will struggle for the gospel, but again it looks different to each of us

What is this mystery, it is the plan of Salvation that God has had from the beginning. Is Jesus Christ, our hope of glory. we suffer and struggle for the hope of glory Who is Christ.

The hope of glory

Our eyes were shrouded from the fulfillment. It was a shadow

Hebrews

Illustration: guessing an object from a silhouette

But it didn't stay this way. Christ brought the light of God to reveal the truth and himself is our Salvation

Illustration: the cave – Platos

Made known among the Gentiles. The salvation is for all and Paul was called to bring it to the Gentiles.

Teach to mature people in Christ

Dont leave it at witnessing

We carry this light to reveal the truth, but our ultimate mission is not conversion.

Obviously this is an important part. Don't hear me is saying we don't need to go out and witness, we do but that's not the end of our mission. The conversion is the beginning.

Sunday School Outreach

Our ultimate goal should be to develop people and make them mature believers in Christ.

Anytime we talk to a skilled evangelist like Dr. Matt Queen who has visited here and is a professor at Southwestern Seminary. I've interacted with him several times one of the first things he does if somebody comes to faith in an area he isn't from as he tries to connect them to a church. That's because conversion isn't the end of the journey it's the beginning of it.

We need to seek to become more like Christ, and we need to help those around us to do so as well.

As Paul says follow me as I follow Christ. now that's not to say that any of our leaders are of the level of the Apostle Paul, but our mission is this to emulate Christ and be an example to those around us and a teacher to those around us. This is the need of holding to the qualifications of Elders and Deacons.

Illustration: Train my replacement

This is not literal, I'm not planning on going anywhere and I'm training somebody to take over for me. But my goal and anyone that I work with is that they can take those skills and apply them in another church somewhere at some point.

Paul had a specific mission as we all do, but the goals are the same

Worship God, disciple his people, and bring the good news to the lost

Now this may sound difficult, and it is hard work, but Christ empowers us to do this. The rewards and satisfaction are beyond compare. He empowers us to suffer and struggle for the hope of glory

God Empowers Us to this Work

Lean on Him

He supplies our need, we do this by his strength.

We know he is glorified in our weakness

Ill: Kadanja

We strengthens us for what?

For what we want, for what we like?

No, for his work that he has assigned to us.

We work for what he calls us too and we accomplish what he intends for us

Gal 6:9-10

Galatians 6:9–10 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Missionary

He is glorified in our weakness and in our overcoming this in his strength

This is an amazing truth we see in the Apostles, and now we can apply this truth in the modern church.

You:

So what does this mean for us today? It means we can't make excuses, but we need to go serve. We need to do the ministry that he has called us to.

Know this may cause toil, this will be work

Find what you are called to

Make the mysteries he has revealed known to the world

Remember to rely on his power

Know this may cause toil

Find what you are called to

Make the mysteries known

Remember to rely on his power

Lets keep in mind

We:

Illustration: Building up skills, breaking something down. Iron sharpening Iron. Breaking down muscle to build strength.

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 ESV

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We suffer and struggle for the hope of glory. And we do so empowered by God.