As you know Sharon and I was on vacation last week…
We where up in the mountains at 7000 ft in a beautiful cabin with 7 people. We no TV, internet, computers, radios, telephones nothing…and here are ten things I leaned…
10. A deck of cards can lead to some great conversation
9. Geese are a natural alarm clock
8. Goose would have been good for dinner
7. There is no air for walking at 7000 ft
6. You can get a sunburn in half the time
5. Using the bathroom is a coordinated effort
4. Matches are a necessity
3. Life does exist without electricity
2. The boys can walk and talk without the aid of an mp3 player
1. Smores are a food group
This morning we are going to continue in the letter to the Colossians…This is a rich letter…Paul is writing from a prison cell to a group of people he had never met.
The church in Colosse where struggling with religious relativism, some of the believers where trying to combine paganism and secular philosophies with the Christian faith. Some where questioning Christ…Paul confronts these views and affirms the sufficiency of Christ.
In fact I love this letter, because Paul always brings it back to Christ…Christ is the center of this letter and Christ is to be the center of our lives.
In Chapter one Paul talked of thanksgiving and prayer…He talked about the Supremacy of Christ…and how Paul labors for the church. In fact the last time I talked was ‘why church’…and we came up with three reasons…all of this taken from the end of chapter 1.
Firstly we exist to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the world…The fact that Jesus lived and died…that he was buried and resurrected…and that he defeated death…and by putting our faith in him we have an abundant life now…and we will live with Him in eternity.
We are to proclaim this good news to our neighbors, our family…to everyone…
Secondly we exist to present every believer ‘perfect in Christ’….we do this through discipleship, through serving and worship….
Thirdly we have to learn as Paul did…to rely on God. We have to allow God to work through us “Powerfully
In Chapter 2
We continue this same line of thought…So if you have your Bibles…we are going to read in Chapter 2:1-5…but before we do let’s pray.
In the first verse we see Paul is addressing not only the church in Colosse, but also the church in Laodicea. Both of these towns where close together and believed to have been started by the same person.
Paul mentions his struggle…remember how Paul in verse 29 of chapter 1 said “To this end I labor, struggling with all of his energy, which so powerfully works in me”…Paul understood it was Christ working through him, through the person of the Holy Spirit…it was the only way Paul could do things he did…by relying on the Spirit.
What are some of Paul’s struggles? Five times he received 40 lashes minus one from the Jews…three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three time he was shipped wrecked, he was consistently on the move, threatened from all sides, labored without sleep and many times without food…all the time worrying and concerned for all the churches…in now from a Roman prisons writes this letter…
Paul understood what it meant to suffer for his faith…he understood how to rely upon the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance.
We look at Paul and think we could never be like Paul, we could never do the things he did…but I challenge you this morning.
Does not the same Spirit that filled Paul and enabled him to do so many things for the church reside in you?
Upon putting your faith in Christ you where filled with the Holy Spirit…this Spirit is not one of fear or defeat…but it is the Spirit of victory in life…it’s the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...
One of the problems for Christians today is unrealized power of the Spirit in our lives. I think many time we relegate the Spirit to the sidelines of our lives…and only call on him when we really need him in our lives. We struggle with sin and life in general…never asking for help until it’s to late. It’s only when we find ourselves stuck in addiction or stuck in whatever rut do we call on the spirit to help us.
We need to live as Paul did, relying daily, moment by moment upon the Spirit in which God has given us.
Why was this so important to Paul
Paul’s purpose was “that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love”…v.2
Firstly Paul wanted to encourage the believers in their faith…Living the Christian faith is a challenge…it can be hard and at time seemly impossible. The Christians faith isn’t for the weak in spirit; it’s not the easy way out. The easy way is to live as the world around us lives…too go along with what feels good and what is ‘natural’. But the Christian faith calls you to be different, calls you live for Christ and to die to self. It fly’s in the face of our culture…
Secondly Paul wanted the believers to be ‘united’ in love…Paul is echoing Jesus’ command…John 13:34-35 says “A command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Paul understood the difficulty of living out the Christian faith, but he also understood it was impossible to do it alone. It is only when we are united in love, supporting one another…encouraging one another can we even begin to understand God…
Read the rest of the verse…”So that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, v.3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Paul knew we could not fully understand Christ without each other…You can only grow in Christ through cooperate worship, discipleship and service through the church.
Now understand me…you can worship alone, you can study the Bible on your own and you can serve others alone…I would encourage you to do all these things…and you will grow in the knowledge of Christ. But it will only take you so far…
If I plant a tree in a pot…that tree will only grow to the height that pot can support…you will only grow so far alone…
But in the Church with other believers severing one another, exercising the gifts God has given you…is when you grow the most as a Christian….to fully realize Christ.
Another Reason
Is stated in v.4, Paul’s tells them this ‘so that no one may deceive you with fine-sounding arguments…How many Christians have been deceived and have fallen from their faith or joined cults like the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormon because they where not part of a church and properly trained in their faith.
Many cults purposely pray upon “Christians”…they use the same terms or language, they will use the Bible and sound and look very Christian…but they are way off. Many believers fall into these cults thinking they are
following the traditional Christian faith, without realizing they have been deceived.
Others like Dan Brown the writer of the “Da Vinci Code”, sold millions of books and even had a movie…challenged the deity of Christ…reducing him to a man. By doing so he was denying the very center of the Christian faith…Some ‘Christians’ bought into this ‘fiction’ and started to question their faith….
Lastly
Paul delighted in knowing the churches at Colosse and Laodcea were firm in their faith in Christ…
We are to be firm in our faith…but the only way we can is…the only way… is if we are surrendered to the Spirit which resides in us…through the Spirit we can do it together…Through the Spirit we encourage one another, through the Spirit we love one another…If we do this we this…you will grow as a Christian…we will grow as a church…I guarantee it…
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