Striving and Sacrificing

Introduction

Good morning.....

Family Worship/Bow Tie

We will finally move into chapter 2 today of Colossians. If you have your Bible go ahead and open to Colossians 1 and we are starting in verse 24. Now this is a continuation of where we left off last week.

Paul has been making this grand declaration to open the book of Colossians, setting a tone and pace for what is to come.

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And we saw this culmination last week from Paul as he defended the person and deity of Jesus.

Who Jesus is is the foundation of our faith and if we don’t understand that, it doesn’t matter where we go from there. So it was essential for Paul to make that clear since the false teachers were trying to skew who Jesus was.

So, we get to verse 24 into chapter 2 where Paul then begins explaining more of who he is and the importance of what He is doing and how that extends to the church.

Ministry Testimony

The reality is, whether we are called into full time ministry or we are serving the Lord with the gifts he gives us....

We are to serve the Lord sacrificially and joyfully.

Have you ever felt joyless? And how you felt because of it?

Scripture warns us of this in Proverbs.

Proverbs 17:22 NASB95

22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

We must remain joyful....not because things are always good but because of the hope we share when we know Christ.

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Our lives must be lived out in accordance with what God has laid out for us in scripture. So, we must sacrifice our needs and wants for His.

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul goes on in 2 timothy....

2 Timothy 2:15 CSB

15 Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.

This is the expectation for us as servants of His. That we are properly doing the work so that we can present ourselves to God in a way that is accepting to Him. And to this it means we are knowing, understanding and implementing the Word of God in our life. That is what is meant by rightly handling the word of truth.

And it is these things Paul is pointing out to in our passage today.... The example of a servant of Christ and how we should respond to that as the church.

Stand

Colossians 1:24–2:3 CSB

24 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. 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, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me. 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. 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.

Pray

At first glance we can really question the motives of Paul and even call him a little crazy. Why? He literally tells us he is rejoicing because he is suffering.

WHAT?!

Why would anyone want to be happy about suffering? It’s because it is all about why you would suffer.

Paul’s first example to us is this...

We should joyfully suffer for the cause of Christ.

That is why Paul is content to suffer in this moment. He is suffering for the sake of knowing Christ. Keeping in mind that his suffering was being imprisoned.

Prison then

It was a privilege to suffer on behalf of Jesus. And furthermore, Paul somewhat saw this as something that he was also taking on for other believers. So, he was joyful in the fact that he was suffering for Christ and for others in the name of Christ.

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Now the second half of verse 24 has brought about it’s own level of controversy. It has long been debated on it’s true meaning, some going as far to believe that it means Christ was not able to fully pay for our sins so we must experience that pain in some capacity after death.

Now, context is very important and we never can study and learn scripture without drawing upon other parts of scripture. It all goes together.

And if this thought and teaching, which was also part of what the Colossians heretics were teaching(salvation happens through our works). Then everything Paul said in the prior passage is pointless. Which is how we can realize it certainly doesn’t mean Jesus didn’t pay for All of our sin.

Faith alone in Jesus is sufficient for forgiveness of our sin. Yes, upon forgiveness there should be a change that we see in our works-faith without works is dead. BUT, it is in Christ alone we receive that forgiveness. Nothing we can do about it. In this life or certainly after we die.

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So, what Paul is getting at here is that he is experiencing a physical pain due to his imprisonment for declaring christ and because of that his pain and imprisonment is truly Christ’s affliction as it is meant for Jesus because Paul declaring Jesus is the reason he is in prison.

Right....it is no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me.

2 Corinthians 1:5 ESV

5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

And as a servant....Paul is experiencing this because of his great love for Christ and His church.

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Paul’s second big example to us is this in verses 25-16...

It should be our mission as servants to make Christ known.

Word Volunteer

We are servants of Christ! And we should be excited to be servants of Christ.

Paul takes every opportunity in his letters to make known that he is a servant of Christ. Not because he is boasting but because of the honor and privilege that is.

1 Corinthians 4:1–2 ESV

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

That mystery in 1 Cor. is the same mystery that we see here....it’s the Gospel that was finally revealed. The best kept secret was out there. And people needed to hear it and still do. The servants are the ones needing to be on mission....proclaiming it.

And we must be bold in doing it.

Here are some things you can count on as a servant of Christ-

You will be mocked

You will be challenged

You will be told you are wrong

You will be told you are unloving and unaccepting.

You will have to serve sacrificially.

Why? Because the Gospel is offensive and this isn’t meant to be easy.

1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us that the word of the cross is ridiculous to those who don’t know Christ.....But also it is powerful to those of us that do.

Therefore, we must be willing to speak up when opposed with the truth BOLDLY!

Acts 20:27 ESV

27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

This is not always easy, but it’s necessary.

Not only do we need to be proclaiming Christ…/as servants…we need to be serving the body. Paul was serving and sacrificing and striving for the sake of the Gospel.

Jesus is our ultimate example. Our Savior, Our King was a servant!

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We need to be serving our Lord and each other.

And let me throw this in there…Joyfully.

And there is no end date.

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And it’s important we are doing this and extending this message to others. That is Paul’s message here in verse 27. God want’s this to be made known.

Movies

Any Star Wars fans?

The reality is Christ is our only hope. And that is a message that must be shared.

And there is a great need for all of us to be proclaiming and teaching so that other’s can understand the Gospel but also the entirety of Scripture. That’s the wisdom. Having great discernment in our day to day matters.

Why? So we can be presented as followers of Jesus.

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Some more Greek coming at you. The word for labor here is Kopiao(Ko-pee-ow). It literally means to work to the point of exhaustion.

That was the basis for Paul’s ministry....being a servant for Jesus shouldn’t be easy. It’s about sacrifice and hard work.

We have to ask ourselves as servants....

Can we say we serve like Paul?

Are we striving with the Lord’s strength and power to carry out the mission?

Or, is it merely a side note in our busy schedules.

Sleep at Night/Exhaustion/Chandler

It is our responsibility to carry out the mission and message of the cross as servants of Christ Jesus. Amen!

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Who would agree that Paul loves these people?

Would you say he cares greatly for them and is concerned for them?

Here is the kicker if you didn’t realize this.....Paul had never met these people. He had never visited or attended this church but he loved and cared for them regardless.

TikTok Trend-understood the assignment

Well, we can certainly say that Paul understood the assignment. Love God, love others. It didn’t matter if they were close, family, friends or if he even met them. He loved them and he loved them because of the bond that brought them together. Christ.

This is the example that has been laid out and set....Jesus showed us this great love by laying down his life for the church.

Paul issued a charge to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28 to make sure they are loving and caring for the church.

Acts 20:28 CSB

28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

And Paul reminds husbands of this in Ephesians 5-

Ephesians 5:25 ESV

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

That’s how much we should also love the church. And that is Paul’s message here. He is struggling for the church, sacrificing for it because of how much he loves it.

And this is not just the local church. But this is the church as a whole. If we are to be following God, we can’t just have concern and love for ourselves....for the body at FBCO, but we better love our brothers and sisters over at South County Baptist, Heartland, the Journey, the church three states over and the ones on different continents. Even the ones that transcend the denominational line. That’s understanding the assignment…the message of the Lord.

Because as the body we must encourage each other when we are discouraged and love each other when we feel unloved. and constantly remind each other of the immense riches that await us in Christ.....not money or possessions or jewels....though there will be crowns! ....

But the saving grace of God from sin.

Closing

Christ Alone....Jesus Alone....That is the message of Colossians....It is the message of the Gospel....is it the message of the Word of God.

Our sin is what separates us from Christ. It is what bounds us and keeps us from God and Heaven. It is our debt....and like any debt it needs to be paid. Jesus did that because the payment for sin was death....not just a physical death because we all will experience that unless He returns. But an agonizing wrath filled death that would result in eternal condemnation. I often hear people wish people to hell....if we truly understood it, you wouldn’t wish that for your worst enemy.

Thankfully, God gave us sinners( and you may be thinking you aren’t....we all are-fall have sinned) a way for redemption. And that was through Jesus’ death on the cross as He took on that debt, by receiving that agonizing wrath filled death that we deserved and he not only took, he defeated it so when we accept him as our savior....he can present us holy and blameless to the Father.

This is something we all need. And you may think, “well, I’m a good person.” That’s great. But it’s not enough. The saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Because there is only one way to get to Heaven and to be redeemed and that is through Jesus Christ who declares, I am the way the truth and the life....no one gets to the father but through me.

If you don’t know him, if you have never admitted your sinfulness and need for a savior, Jesus....I implore you to make that decision today! Don’t put this off until it’s too late. I would invite you to see me after the service or any of our deacons…we would love to talk with you, pray with you, and help you understand this more. And if you are joining us online, call us. Message us. We will reach out.

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And for the believers....we must understand our role, our purpose....and that is we are servants of Christ Jesus....there is no other thing you could ever do on this planet that is more worthy than that.

Wear that badge with humility, but also with great honor and pride.

We can pride ourselves in so many things…being a spouse, a parent, successful in our careers. And that is ok if you do it with humility. But nothing beats our passion and love for serving God, His church and ministering to people with the Gospel.

Our love, excitement and joy should be evident for Him as we do this.

1 Peter 1:8–9 CSB

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

My prayer for us today is that we ignite a passion for serving the Lord in our hearts that push us to sacrifice and strive ahead, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our steps and our hearts as we love the people of God and the lost.

Pray