What's our purpose?

A couple of weeks ago, we were looking at Colossians 1:15-21. The question I asked us to consider was, “Who’s the Boss?” In Colossians 1:15-21, Paul was reminding the Colossian believers who Jesus is, and his role as the one who is fully God, supreme over all creation, the one that holds all things together, the head of the church, and the one who reconciled us to God. Let’s look at that again, because is it the pretext to what we are looking at today.

Colossians 1:15–23 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul reminded them of Jesus’ supremacy over all. As we said a couple weeks ago, if he really is supreme over all, if he really is the Lord, he should have first place in every area of our lives.

Colossians and Philemon—The Supremacy of Christ Christ: Supreme in the Church (v. 18)

• First-place in our families.

• First-place in our marriages.

• First-place in our professions.

• First-place in our mission and ministry.

• First-place in matters of the intellect.

• First-place in time.

• First-place in love.

• First-place in conversation.

• First-place in pleasures.

• First in eating.

• First in play.

• First in athletics.

• First in what we watch.

• First-place in art.

• First-place in music.

• First-place in worship.

Paul reminded the Colossians of just how great Jesus is, and how wonderful our salvation is.

Now, from there, Paul shares how he personally responds to Jesus’ authority, and his precious salvation. He shares this, as an example, and as part of his letter to inspire the Colossians to respond properly to Jesus, their Lord and Savior.

Let’s read this next section together.

Colossians 1:24–29 NIV

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

How did Paul respond to Jesus’ supremacy? How did he respond to the wonderful salvation purchased for us when we were alienated from God, hostile to God?

He responded by Serving the Lord by serving his church

Paul rejoiced in his purpose of serving the church through presenting the word of God in its fullness — the mystery of Christ — proclaiming Christ, teaching everyone so they may be fully mature in Christ.

From the moment he was saved, Paul had a new purpose. His purpose before was self-promotion through being the best of the best among the pharisees.

He even went so far as to persecute the followers of Jesus, the church, which he viewed as a threat to the law, and the ways of the Pharisees.

however, that all changed when he met Christ on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:1–6 NIV

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Acts 9:15–16 NIV

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Acts 9:19–22 NIV

and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

How was he a Servant of the church?

Paul found his new purpose was to serve the Lord, as a servant to the church!

This included sharing the gospel with those who did not yet believe so they could become a part of the church, and it also included teaching them more about Christ.

He was a servant of the church...

Col 1.7 slave and servant

Servant - through the dust...

What did that look like?

Colossians 1:24 NIV

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

What is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions?

Christ is the savior. There is nothing to add to his work of dying in our place on the cross, and rising again.

Colossians 1:12–14 NIV

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:19–22 NIV

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

Colossians 2:13–14 NIV

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Christ’s afflictions, which he suffered as he lived in this world, being tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sinning, and then taking our sins upon himself as he died on the cross is not lacking anything regarding making atonement, or covering for our sin.

So what could Paul mean by this?

We have also seen this in 1 Corinthians, as Paul said,

1 Cor 10.31-33

1 Corinthians 10:31–33 NIV

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Being a servant, means that you are looking out for others. And that is not easy. You are trying to please them, and not just looking for what you want.

However, if you try to please everyone, what typically happens?

People are not always pleased...

Especially when it comes to the truth of the gospel.

It is offensive to people to hear the truth of the gospel.

It is offensive to people to be told that they are completely separated from God.

it is offensive to people to hear that they are enemies of God, that they are rebellious and deserving of God’s wrath.

this is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his second letter, 2 Cor 2.14-16

2 Corinthians 2:14–16 NIV

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

and even when they do receive the gospel as the aroma of life, when one shares teaching with them like Paul did to the Corinthians, it is also not always well received.

Paul spent his first letter addressing divisions in the church, and telling them over and over to not seek their own good, but the good of others, to be servants to one another. However, this was apparently not well received, and Paul mentions that he had a painful visit with them after that letter in 2 Corinthians 2:1.

It is offensive to people to be told that they are not handling themselves correctly. People do not like being told that they need to give up what they think they have the right to do in order to serve others. People don’t like being told that whoever wants to be great in God’s kingdom must be the servant of all.

Jesus had the same message, and was hated for it when he said those things as well.

So, Paul suffered. he suffered at the hands of non-believers, and he suffered at the hands of believers.

He was a servant. He was dragged through the dust as he served others, by sharing the gospel and the teachings of Jesus.

But what was his attitude through this?

Colossians 1:24 NIV

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Paul rejoiced...

he rejoiced in what he suffered for them. He was able to rejoice because he was joining with Christ in his work to see his body, his church growing to maturity.

For those who suffer as they serve Christ, there is a joy that comes from being identified with Christ. In Acts 5.41 we see this.

Acts 5:41 NIV

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Rejoicing in the Philippian jail.

Colossians and Philemon—The Supremacy of Christ Paul’s Ministerial Attitude (v. 24)

Dr. Helen Roseveare, a British medical doctor, has served more than twenty years in Zaire, Africa. For twelve and a half years she had a frenetic but generally wonderful time serving as the only doctor to an area containing more than half a million people (today about one and a half million). But in 1964 revolution overwhelmed the country, and she and her coworkers were thrown into five and a half months of almost unbelievable brutality and torture. On one occasion when Dr. Roseveare was on the verge of being executed, a seventeen-year-old student came to her defense and was savagely beaten as a result. He was kicked about like a football and left for dead. Dr. Roseveare was sick. For a moment she thought that God had forsaken her, even though she did not doubt his reality. But God stepped in, overwhelmed her with the sense of his own presence, and said something like this: “Twenty years ago you asked me for the privilege of being a missionary, the privilege of being identified with me. These are not your sufferings; they are my sufferings.” As the force of that hit home, the doctor said she was overcome with a great sense of privilege. Helen Roseveare’s sense of identification with Christ, of union with him, was elevated by her suffering, and she rejoiced. Paul likewise rejoiced in the sublime oneness he sensed as Christ participated with him in his sufferings.

He rejoiced because he knew he was fulfilling his commission.

Colossians 1:25 NIV

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—

God given Commission

This is exactly what God told Annanias back in Acts 9.16 when Paul was saved. God was going to show Paul how much he would have to suffer for the gospel.

Suffering did not make Paul doubt his commission. It made him confident in his commission.

The commission to present the word of God in its fullness.

General Purpose: Serve the church

Specific Purpose: Present the Word of God in its fullness - the mystery

Colossians 1:25–27 NIV

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

What is the mystery? Christ in you!

Paul is going to flush this out as we go through the letter. In brief, it is that we do not need special knowledge from philosophies or wisdom of this world We do not need religious rituals. We need Christ! We need Christ in us to live lives worthy of Him. But more on that as we go through the letter.

Specific Purpose: Present the Word of God in its fullness - the mystery, Jesus!

Colossians 1:28 NIV

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

How could Paul do this?

Colossians 1:29 NIV

To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

What is our purpose?

When we consider Christ is the Lord of all, everything in heaven and on earth for everything was made through him and for him, we belong to him, the one who gave himself for us to reconcile us to God by his blood shed on the cross, what impact does that have on our lives today?