A Pastor’s Heart
Colossians 2:1-7
1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Intro: A Pastor’s Heart
Question: What is the greatest quality of a minister or disciple of Christ?
Verse: 1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
Word: struggle (agon) to agonize in striving for the finish line.
Idea: Scripture teach us that Jesus loved the church so much that He laid down His life for her. To Ephesians elders, Paul challenged them to, “shepherd the church of God which He purchased w/ His own blood.
Paul loved the church so much that he gave his life and service completely to her. His love for the church was captivated by his love for Christ. Paul fully understood the truth expressed in 1 John 4:21.
Verse: This commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. 1 Jn 4:21
Setting: Paul was writing to two churches of which he had neither personally planted nor visited. In fact, he likely knew of not one believer in either of these churches, and yet he agonized over them in prayer wanting to encourage, comfort, and strengthen them. He longed to visit w/ them, yet he was shackled to a Roman guard under house arrest.
Trans: Nonetheless, like a loving parent though, Paul commended these believers and challenged them to be a strong tower both individually and corporately in their respective cities. Thus, he offers them five objectives and encouragements to assist them in their quest to be a Great Commission church in a sinful world. He calls them to uphold that very evidence of an abiding life.
Verse: I am the vine and you are the branches, any man ho abides in Me and I in him, will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing. Jn. 15:5
I The Church should be Strong in Heart
Verse: 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart…
Word: encouraged (parakaleo) to call alongside to appeal to, comfort, exhort and strengthen.
Idea: Paul desired that the Colossian Christians would be strong in their inner person.
Word: heart – refers to bowels – the inner man. In Greek/Hebrew culture, the heart usually referred to the lower part of the abdomen – a person had such strong emotions that they felt it (butterflies).
It refers to the center part of man that is so emotionally moved he is motivated to move to physical action.
Idea: Paul desired that the Colossian believers would be so moved emotionally by Christ in them that they would be people of conviction and compassion moved to stand firm w/ power in their daily walk w/ Christ.
II The Church should be United in Love
Verse: …and united in love,
Word: united (sumbibazo) knit together or bring together
Note: While Paul desired that the Colossians possess a strength of conviction, Paul understand that genuine conviction manifest itself in active, mutual love for others. Thus, Paul reminded the Colossians that faith w/out love was not faith, but rather only a mental assent. Instead he exhorted them to realize that while faith alone saved, that genuine faith always manifested itself in the activity of love.
Idea: Not only do we have a common faith in a common Savior, but we also possess a common mission to love one another. This love is fueled by Christ in me allowing me to love anyone and everyone unconditionally.
Verse: By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. 1 Jn
Quote: In John 13, the point was that if an individual Christian does not show love toward other true Christians, then the world has a right to judge that he is not a Christian. Here (in John 17:21) Jesus is stating something else which is much more cutting, much more profound: We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians. Now that is frightenin. Should we not feel some emotions at this point? Schaffer
Insert: John 8 – the woman caught in adultery. We discover the difference b/w Pharisee-ism and Christ-like Salvation. One is legalistic and the other is emancipating. One holds down and the other lifts up.
III The Church should be Settled in Understanding
Verse: …so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Word: understanding (sunesis) to comprehend in order to apply biblical principles to every day life.
Idea: Paul desired that the Colossians possess a faith that that was experientially understood and fulfilling. He longed for them to know Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings being comformed to His image.
Who wants a faith void of emotion and experience? Who wants to be a part of a church that does not strive to live and experience the Christian life?
Quote: Faith that fizzles fast was faulty from the first.
Idea: Paul desires that the Colossians possess a faith that is mental stimulating and emotionally riveting. It is trustworthy and effectual. And furthermore, it connects and works w/ other believers.
Word: orderly (taxis) good discipline
firm (stereoma) stability
Note: Taxis and stereoma are military words – taxis refers to a line of soldiers drawn up for battle and stereoma refers to the solidarity of a formation of soldiers. Together is means to take a collect unbending stance.
IV The Church should be Walking in Christ
Verse: 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught
Word: firmly rooted (errizomenoi)
Idea: Like a tree w/ deep roots in rich soil (through Scripture and through the fellowship of the saints) Christ has become the source of our spiritual nourishment, growth, and fruitfulness.
being built up (epoikodomoumenoi) a continuous action of growth stimulated by God’s Word and Spirit. We grow b/c of Christ working in and through us.
established (bebaioumenoi) having a firm foundation and healthy spiritual life
V The Church should be Overflowing with Gratitude
Verse: …and overflowing with thankfulness
Word: overflowing (perisseuontes) to abound and spill over (w/ thanksgiving)
gratitude – thanksgiving; an attitude of gratitude manifesting itself in worship
Note: The last of four participles, but the only on in active voice. It is in response to the first three participles. Believers who are firmly rooted and built up in Christ, and who are established in their faith, cannot help but overflow w/ gratitude. They will overflow b/c there is no additional room to contain Christ w/in them.
Idea: An authentic Christian is like a tree (see Ps. 1). The tree is planted and the natural growth process takes place having nothing to do w/ the tree itself. The root system, trunk, and branches are present, yet the evidence that the tree is alive is that it produces leaves and fruit
Exegesis
1I want you to know how much I am striving in agony for you and for those at believers in the church at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that all of you may be encouraged to come alongside of one another and myself in your bowels so that you would be moved to be strong in your hearts for one another and that you would be bound together in active, compassionate love for one another than authenticates the veracity of your faith, so that all of you may have the full and thorough riches of a complete and working understanding of who God is and how the Christian life experientially works, in order that all of you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden and reserved all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, that is that Christ is God in the flesh and that those who are possessed by Him through faith are able to experience the full knowledge and blessings of who He is and what He has in store for those who trust Him with their lives in salvation. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive or lead you astray down a path of untruth that would be destructive to your life with arguments that are fine-sounding and potentially believable if you listen to them without consulting the truth of God’s Word or if you do not test them to confirm if Jesus Himself would participate in them.. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see that together you have drawn a line in the sand by how orderly and disciplined you are and how steadfast and firm your faith in Christ is both individually and corporately. 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord by grace through faith, continue to continue to live and pursue an authentic faith experience in him alone, 7having roots that dig deep into the soil of God’s Word and in the fellowship of like-minded believers in the family of God so that you will continue to grow being built up in him, and made stronger in the faith as you were taught, and resulting I a cistern that continually bubbles overflowing with an attitude that is grateful and worshipful.
