Count The Cost Series

Above All: A Study in Colossians

Colossians 1:24-29

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

5-08-2022

Freedom!

[Brave Heart Clip 3:50 - 5:50]

On August 23, 1305 William Wallace was arrested and tried, he was stripped naked, dragged through the streets, hung until he almost died. Pulled from limb to limb, disemboweled and beheaded.

It’s been said that if you don’t have something you would die for, do you really have a life worth living?

That’s the message that Paul wanted to communicate to the believers in the next section of the letter of Colossians.

The Colossian Condition

Last week, Paul moved from the high theology of the Christ hymn in 1:15-20 to the application of these truths to the believers in this little church.

He reminded them of their past condition - they had been alienated from God, far from Him, separated by sin, enemies in their minds and deeds.

He then gets to heart of the matter and uses one of the most amazing “buts” in the entire Bible. Their present condition is that they have been “reconciled to God by Christ’s physical body through death.” Enemies have been made friends.

He then tells them the aim of this reconciliation, their future condition - to “present you holy, without blemish, and free from accusation.”

I quoted J.R. Briggs:

"It's been said that true freedom in Christ is when we have nothing to hide, nothing to lose, and nothing to prove. We have nothing to hide because Jesus has already covered our sin. We have nothing to lose because we are already committed to picking up our cross in pursuit of Christ. And we have nothing to prove because Christ has already taken care of it - all our sin and selfish ambitions, vain desires and self-glorifying dreams.”

Then Paul encourages the Colossians “to continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” True born again Christians stand the test of time.

Today, we will move into the body of the letter and Paul will give us the marching orders for ministers of the Gospel to follow.

Turn with me to Colossians 1:24.

Prayer

Paul’s Love for the Churches

Paul’s mention of being a servant of the Gospel sends him into a long Greek sentence in which he elaborates on what that means for him and for us.

“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.” (Col 1:24-29)

Paul’s Attitude

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you…

After Jesus appeared to Paul on the Damascus road, he was blinded and led into the city. God sent a man named Ananias to pray for Paul. At first, Ananias pleaded with God because he had heard of how vicious Paul had been toward Christians. But God responded to him:

“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 9:15-16)

And suffer Paul did. Not only did Paul suffer physically but he also had the emotional burden of caring for the churches filled with Gentiles:

“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Cor 11:23-28)

I had to remind myself of these words when I was so frustrated that I was behind someone going 40 on 24 coming back from Fairbury. That wasn’t suffering!