Together in Love

Special Prayer

This morning we are continuing our series of Together, while we study in Colossians this morning we will be looking at Together in Love while looking at Colossians 2:1-7

We have been looking at the statement that God has given us:

We Grow together, Build together, Serve together, to Glorify God together.

For the Body of Christ to function properly it must work together, it must be unified, it has to grow together, build together, and serve together.

We have to come together in love, if we come together just out of duty, because that is what God wants from us, the world will see it, and will not want to be part of us, and therefore, we will not accomplish the purpose and call that God has given us.

Look with me at our text:

Colossians 2:1–7 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. 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. I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

When we come together in love, we will have concern for our fellow believers, that concern has a purpose and a reason, which then produces an application.

We will see through our text this morning what God is telling us about these things if we will come together in love, with concern for our fellow brother and sisters in Christ.

I. Purpose of Concern Vs. 1-3

Colossians 2:1 CSB

1 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 struggled because he wanted to see the Colossian Christians. Paul recognized that people bring movements.

He also remembered the commission that he had recieved from God that he stated in

Colossians 1:25 CSB

25 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 was series about accomplishing the task that God had given him, and we should also take the commands that God has given us series, which is to share the Gospel message.

Paul wanted every opportunity he could get to know and encourage all Gentile believers personally.

Are we that series about God, are we that series about what God has called us to that it causes us to struggle.

Colossians 2:2–3 CSB

2 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. 3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Starting in verse two there we see the purpose of the concern, that the Colossians might be encouraged in heart. The term encouraged might be translated equally well Exhorted.

The Greek text reads, that you may be encouraged since you are knit together in love, or possibly, by your having been knit together in love.

We are knitted together in Christ’s love and it is His love for us that provides a basis for unity and has formed a common bond between Christians.

Christian growth - Spiritual growth is a group task! The individuals of the church need each other.

When we come together in love, there are spiritual riches reserved for those who encourage each other and have a strong commitment to the body of Christ.

The ultimate goal, is to know the mystery of God, namely Christ in the fellowship of the church.

In verse 3, it states that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, see the false teachers focused on wisdom and knowledge but Paul focused on Christ, the true source of wisdom and knowledge.

That is what He is explaining in verse 3 there, that true wisdom and knowledge is found in Jesus, not where the false teachers were looking for it at.

The false teachers claimed that they posed a wisdom and knowledge that was only available to the spiritual elite.

Paul tells us that true wisdom and knowledge is found in knowing and following Christ.

II. Reason for Concern Vs. 4-5

There are two reasons for concern here, theological and personal perspective.

Colossians 2:4–5 CSB

4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

First we see the theological concern in verse 4, that the Colossians not be deceived by arguments that sound reasonable or to put it another way, fine-sounding arguments.

The real threat was that they might be deceived by a fast talker or by smooth talk.

The church had to learn to see beyond the fine-sounding language of the false teachers to the empty and false arguments they were presenting.

Therefore, they were to grow in knowledge of Christ to avoid the deceitful traps of the false teachers arguments.

We have to be grounded in our faith, in our beliefs, and we have to come together in love, in order to help each other grow spiritually, so that we can be grounded in the faith, and in our beliefs.

If we are not grounded in the faith, in Jesus Christ, and are not together in love, then we will be lead astray by the false teachers that are out there, and they are out there strong.

Second we see the personal perspective for reason for concern. Paul could not be with the Colossians in person, but he felt a strong spiritual tie to them.

They were his spiritual children, even though he did not directly plant the church, and directly lead the people to salvation.

What Paul had heard was that the church was orderly and firm, that meaning that they had begun well.

Another words up to this point, the false teachers had not had good success at leading them astray, or corrupting them, the church had remained strong and grounded in their beliefs.

III. The Application. Vs. 6-7

Paul’s primary concern was that the church would continue to grow in Christ.

With that there are three statements provided to help us understand the nature of the Christian experience of the Colossians.

Colossians 2:6–7 CSB

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

The first statement that we see is in verse six, is that they the Colossian believers had already received Christ Jesus as Lord.

Paul was reminding them of this basic truth but called them to consider more, as you received Jesus, continue to walk in him.

Another words, they were to reflect on how they had received Jesus, how they had come to salvation, and that was to be a model for their present life.

See if we will think back on when we got saved, how excited, and how on fire for Jesus we were, that is how we should live life now.

But unfortunately, most of us Christians treat Jesus like we are ashamed of him, like he embarrasses us.

We surely are not excited and on fire like we were when we first got saved, and the thing is, we need to get on fire, we need to get excited about Jesus, and share him with everyone we meet.

In verse 7, we see the second statement of the nature of the Christian experience at Colossian, which describes the nature of their experience: rooted and built up in him … strengthened in the faith.

Two metaphors combine to express their initial growth in Christ: rooted and built up in the faith.

The one metaphor pictures sinking the roots of faith into the soil of Christian truth.

The other calls to mind building on the foundation of faith.

Although one metaphor comes from agriculture and the other from construction, together they make a strong point.

The Colossian church had a firm basis for its faith and had built well upon it.

At the end of verse 7, there is a third statement about the nature of the Christian experience which is that they were overflowing with gratitude or thankfulness.

Paul frequently employed thankfulness as one of the litmus test of Christian health. He assumed that Christians would live in an attitude of thankfulness for the many blessings bestowed upon them.

By contrast, one of the first indicators of departure from God is a lack of thanksgiving.

The deep roots of the faith is evidence themselves in an attitude of gratitude for both the initial experience of salvation and the continued sustaining of life.

Faith and the nature of a Christian foundation are often invisible, but thanksgiving is a visible response to the grace of God in their lives.

We need to be serious about the task, to commands that God has given us as Christians, which is to go forth, make disciples, be a witness for him, teach all things that Jesus has commanded.

We need to be grounded in those commands, in our faith, so that we are not tossed to and fro by the false teachings of the world.

We need to come together in the love of Christ so that we can be serious about the task that we been called to by God, and be grounded in our faith.

Then we need to get on fire and excited about our faith, about our salvation, about Jesus.

We need to realize that there is a lot of people out there that need to hear about Jesus, they need to hear, learn, and experience that real love begins with Christ.

It is our job as Christians, as born-again-believers, followers of Christ, to share with the world, with those that are lost, the love of Christ.

People are dying and going to hell every couple of seconds, and we need to get excited, get motivated, get on fire, and do what God has commanded us to do, be a witness for Jesus, make disciples.

The best way we can do that is to come together in love, we can accomplish more together, than we can apart, and doing it together in love is the best way to reach the lost.

Romans 10:9–10 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.