Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

[Pray]

Introduction - 3 Min

We are wrapping up chapter 1 in our study through Colossians.

Last time we looked at Colossians, we were looking at verse 21 - 23 - which makes the point that God reconciled us to himself through the Blood of Christ on the Cross.

The main point was that Christ is Supreme in our Reconciliation to God.

When we say Christ is supreme, we are really looking back to verse 18: Col 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

He is the HEAD, the BEGINNING, the FIRSTBORN - He is PREEMINENT - he has the highest place.

Paul is continuing his encouragement to the church in Colossea.

In this passage he is reminding them of his office, not only as an apostle, but also as a minister, or servant, of the Gospel.

He’s letting them know he is a minister, or steward of the Mystery of Christ.

He’s administering, stewarding the charge and Gospel that was given to him.

We started reading in verse 21 to get a running start at the point Paul is making - last time we looked at those verses as a little biography of the Saint.

You were an Alienated, Hostile sinner, but now you are a reconciled saint presented to God as holy and blameless.

You were far off, but you have been brought near.

But Paul moves into an autobiography - one written to a church he hasn’t met, giving them a glimpse of the suffering of an apostle of Christ - struggling and toiling to bring this mystery of Christ to the world - specifically the Gentiles.

He goes from “Here is what God has done in YOUR life” to “Here is what God has done in MY LIFE.

Here is my heart: to spread this mystery of the Gospel all over the world, and to see it be fruitful.”

Coming to the central theme of the Book of Colossians, the supremacy of Christ, Paul is reminding this Church that Christ is Supreme over the Growth of the Church.

When we say “Church growth” our mind jumps to increasing attendance numbers.

Church growth books and seminars will tell you if your church gets X new people attending it’s growing.

That’s a part of it - but true Church growth is two things happening:

People coming to faith in Christ - New disciples

People maturing in Christ - discipleship and growth

Paul has both in mind - he wants to spread this Gospel so that the Gentiles God has called to salvation will hear and repent.

He also wants the existing followers of Christ to mature - to “present everyone mature in Christ”

He really sees that as his primary call and purpose in life - he has this mystery, this treasure, and he will guard it with his life.

He will struggle, toil, and suffer to fulfil this calling as a minister of the Gospel.

This is really what all ministers of the Gospel are called to - so while it IS an autobiography, it is also an example to all ministers, preachers, and elders to carry out the calling given to them.

We will look at this passage in three points:

The Ministry of the Church

The Mystery of the Church

The Maturity of Believers

The Ministry, the Mystery, and Maturity.

The Ministry of the Church

Paul is a Minister of the Church

In Verses 23 and 25 Paul calls himself a minister - in verse 23 he is a minister of the Gospel - in verse 25 his is a minister of Christ’s Body, the church

Colossians 1:23–25 (ESV)

if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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, 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,

The book of Ephesians was written at the same time as Colossians, and it shared many parallels with it.

In the third Chapter of Ephesians Paul writes a similar statement to the church there in Ephesus - he tells them he is a steward and a minister and that he has insights into the Mystery of Christ.

Ephesians 3:1–7 (ESV)

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.

The Greek work for Minister diakonos - same word used for deacon.

It means a servant, someone who serves others over themselves.

There is self denial in order to better serve others.

When Paul calls himself the minister of the church, or of the Gospel, he is really saying he is a servant doing the work his master has commanded

He, as a minister is dead set on spreading the Gospel, and reaching as many as he can.

Saving those those that have not yet heard the Gospel and shepherding the existing believers who have.

Paul tells King Agripa the full story in Acts 26:12-23

Acts 26:12–23 (ESV)

“In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

Here is the self-righteous, empowered religious vigilante Saul on his way to rid the world of Christians - and Christ stops him, spanks him, gives him a new job, and sends him on his way with a new charge - to MAKE new Christians instead of persecuting them.

He keeps going to Damascus, but calls people to repentance.

Paul takes this charge and calling very seriously.

It was given to him by Christ and no one can take it from him.

But Sharing the Gospel is difficult, Dangerous work.

The Ministry of the Church often requires suffering and pain

Paul is not ashamed to call out in his Epistles and letters the fact that he is suffering.

The book of Acts is full of the accounts of men who were charged with the work of the church being persecuted, jailed, beaten, and killed because the World hated their message.

And not just their message, they hated the Saviour that it spoke of.

Jesus warned his disciples that the world would hate them, because the world hated him.

John 15:18-19 ““If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Paul understood the cost of ministry - he knew what it would take to preach the gospel to the reaches of the earth, but he did it anyway.

And he did it with joy.

Col 1:24 “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,”

Paul clearly is suffering - he is writing this letter from Prison is Rome - carrying out the ministry given to him has been a dangerous, painful job - but he still rejoices - not because he like the pain obviously, but because of the RESULT of his work.

His ministry is extremely successful, but extremely costly to him.

Listen to how he explains it to the Church in Corinth:

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (ESV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.

He is toiling, with the power of God working in him - The Gospel continues to Spread because God’s power works in God’s People - empowering them to carry on the ministry - to take this valuable message to those that need it.

Col 1:29 “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

He is writing the works “I rejoice in my suffering” - while in Chains for preaching this gospel.

Even while imprisoned he asks for them to pray that he will be able to continue preaching the Gospel: Col 4:3-4 “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

Paul considers his comfort, ease, and even his life as less important that the Church, and the spreading of the Gospel to “all Creation”

The unique ministry of the Church is fulfilling the commands to preach, shepherd, disciple, discipline the flock of God, but also to evangelize and share this good news so that the flock of God can grow.

Some of those things are things the Elders are called to do, and some of those things the body of Christ is called to do.

For example, the Elders may preach, but it is the CHURCH BODY that disciplines during excommunication.

It is the PEOPLE of the church, Elders, Deacons, and EVERYONE else that shares the gospel, encourages each other.

disciples each other, even though it’s difficult.

We are ready to give up and cry persecution when we try to share the Gospel, and get rejected, and Paul’s example here is the exact opposite.