Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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?

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.

Rejoicing in the Philippian jail.

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.

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

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.