How Great A Struggle Series

Introduction

In 1641, a young Puritan pastor named Richard Baxter arrived in the English town of Kidderminster.

When he first stepped into the pulpit, the spiritual condition of the town was bleak.

Baxter later wrote that only a “few families” showed any real interest in the things of Christ.

But Baxter refused to treat ministry as a Sunday-only task.

He preached with clarity and conviction, visited every home in the parish, catechized families one by one, prayed fervently, and lived a life that matched his message.

His goal was simple: to see Christ formed in his people.

Over the next two decades, something remarkable happened.

By Baxter’s own estimate, nearly the entire town—about 2,000 people—was brought under the power of the gospel.

Kidderminster became known throughout England as a model of Christian devotion.

Travelers reported that as they walked the streets on the Lord’s Day, they could hear psalms being sung from house to house.

Family worship became normal.

Charity increased.

Drunkenness declined.

The town itself seemed to breathe a different air.

Baxter didn’t claim credit for this transformation.

He saw himself as a tool in the hands of Christ.

His ministry became a living commentary on Colossians 2:1a, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you.”

When a pastor labors faithfully—preaching Christ, shepherding souls, and praying earnestly—God delights to bring real, lasting change.

Baxter reminds us that the ordinary means of grace, carried out with extraordinary diligence, can reshape an entire community.

Even though Paul never served the Colossian Church, he nevertheless cared deeply for them.

In today’s text, Colossians 2:1-5, Paul shows us how to struggle to bring members of a church to maturity in Christ.

Scripture

Let’s read Colossians 2:1-5:

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Lesson

Colossians 2:1-5 teaches us that faithful servants of Christ must be devoted to strengthening the members of the church.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. We Must Affirm Believers with Our Love (2:1-2a)

2. We Must Anchor Believers in the Truth (2:2b-3)

3. We Must Alert Believers to Error (2:4)

4. We Must Assure Believers in the Faith (2:5)

I. We Must Affirm Believers with Our Love (2:1-2a)

First, we must affirm believers with our love.

Paul begins by writing in verse 1, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face....”

These verses are more personal and convey Paul’s affection for the Colossians, even though he had not met most of them.

Paul is picturing the Christians in the three towns in the Lycus valley: Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

The Greek word for “struggle” (agona) is vivid.

Our English word “agony” comes from this word.

Paul is fighting a hard battle for his Christian friends.

He was in prison.

So he could not visit his friends.

Therefore, he struggled for them in two ways.

First, he struggled for them in prayer.

He could not go to them, but he could pray for them.

William Barclay writes, “When time and distance and circumstance separate us from those whom we long to help, there is always one way left to help them, and that is the way of prayer” (William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible [Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003], 148).

And second, he struggled for them in faithfulness.

He knew that if he were to become discouraged or even abandon the truth for the sake of his own safety, it would have disastrous consequences for his Christian friends.

Again, Barclay comments, “Our struggle is never for ourselves alone; the honor of Christ is always in our hands, and the faith of others is always in our keeping” (William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible [Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003], 149).

Sometimes prayer isn’t answered immediately because God wants us to “struggle” on, to see whether we will press on or give in when nothing happens.