Sermon Brief
Date Written: November 26, 2006
Date Preached: November 26, 2006
Where Preached: OZHBC (PM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: A Study in Colossians
Sermon Title: Paul’s Concern over Heresy in the Church
Sermon Text:: Col 2:1-5
Introduction:
Just a note, this outline is NOT original but was found in “Preaching the Word” Commentary on Colossians and Philemon written by R. Kent Hughes…
Have you ever had a concern about what is taught in the church? If you haven’t… you should! What is taught here in this church is what people see in the world around us…
When we are faithful and true to God’s Word and the teachings of Jesus we disciple believers into a solid and stable Christian walk, but when we teach things that are NOT of the Bible… that is when the flock begins to fracture and go astray…
Paul knew that sound teaching was the only way to combat the Gnostic heresy that was being taught in Colosse and Laodecia (sister cities about 8 miles apart)
I know that as a pastor, I have a great concern on WHAT is being taught in our church… in each Sunday school class, in every discipleship training hour… in every home meeting… I am concerned about WHAT is being proclaimed as the Word of God!
And my concern is NOT for my sake or for my control, but it is the simple fact that Christ has made me undershepherd of this flock and I am responsible for WHAT is taught…
Likewise, Paul had been kind of adopted as the ‘pastor emeritus’ of both the Laodecian and Colossian church and they had begged him to come and see them… and to help them with a heresy that was being spread around by the Gnostic type believers who were claiming that Christ was GOOD but not all sufficient for salvation and heaven!
These people claimed that the believers had to obtain this ‘special knowledge’ to know God, but Paul is quick to respond and he sets them straight in this short passage we find at the beginning of chapter 2…
1. The Greatness of Paul’s Concern (v.1)
1 For I want you to know HOW GREAT A STRUGGLE I have for you, for those in Laodicea, and for ALL WHO HAVE NOT SEEN ME IN PERSON.
Col 2:1 (HCSB)
I want us to understand just how much Paul was concerned for these 2 particular churches. The Greek word he uses is Agon which means struggle, conflict or opposition. But it is the Greek word where we get our English word Agony!
Paul was literally in agony over the heresy that was being preached and taught in these 2 cities. He had not had the chance to come to these churches in person, but had contact through Epaphras who had met Paul in Ephesus and was saved and went back to Colosse and started a church.
But it was not simply agonizing over something and doing nothing about it… Paul was also fighting this heresy with his pen. He was writing to these churches and encouraging them and teaching them the way of Christ.
The word Agon also carries with it a sense of striving for victory… like trying to win a race. In this sense Paul was striving to win the victory over the heresy that was being presented in these fellowships.
Paul was eager to get there in person to speak the truth… to let them hear it from him… he was not bragging here but understood that he had been chosen by God to take the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles and he did not put that responsibility off on anyone else… he felt a personal responsibility to meet this heresy head on and in person, but had not had the opportunity.
It was this striving for victory that drove the heart of Paul… that same heart that had been changed on the road to Damascus years before… was now a heart filled with compassion for the lost and the family of God.
And on top of all this Paul was striving for them from a prison cell. He was under persecution at the time of this letter so physical agony was not out of the realm of possibility! Paul was so focused on doing what God had called him to do… that he disregarded his circumstances and strived forward for the sake of the Gospel…
As believers this is what our hearts should reflect in our lives! We should have this same AGON… this same struggle… this same striving for the lost souls of the world around us! Even for those we will NEVER see, our prayer and striving should be for the advancement of the Gospel and the growth of the kingdom…
This can be realized in our lives today through our giving to the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong and Georgia Barnett missions offerings. But it can also be realized by our willingness to go on mission trips and share Christ with those we do NOT know… and may NEVER see again! If you want to serve Christ as He has called you to serve, you must first have a great agony for the lost of this world!
But not only can we see the greatness of Paul’s concern, but in v. 2-3 we can also see…
2. The Guts behind Paul’s Concern (v.2-3)
2 [I want] their hearts TO BE ENCOURAGED AND JOINED TOGETHER IN LOVE, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding, and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. 3 In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Col 2:2-3 (HCSB)
As believers, it is a given that the closer we draw to Christ the closer Christ draws to us and the more effective we are as witnesses for Christ and the more bold we become in sharing the love of Christ with the world around us…
In the Preaching the Word commentary R. Kent Hughes said this about our view of Christ…
“…what you think about Christ, your conception of Him, is everything. If you believe in Jesus Christ, that He is eternal, without beginning or end, that He is always continuing; if you believe that He is Creator of everything, every cosmic speck across trillions of light-years of trackless space, the creator of textures and shapes and colors that daily dazzle our eyes; if you believe that He is the sustainer of all creation, the force which is presently holding the atoms of you body, your town, this universe together, and that without Him all would dissolve; if you believe that He is the mystery, the incarnate reconciler who will one day reconcile the universe and redeem humanity to Himself; if you believe He is the lover of your soul, who loves you with a love bounded only by His infinite nature; then despite the fact that life will be full of trouble, nothing much will go wrong. Your vision of Christ will quicken and shape your life. What you believe about Christ makes all the difference in the world NOW and eternity…”
But how does the knowledge of Christ come through our fellowship to those around us? It flows with the love we have for one another. Like Jesus taught in John 13:34-35 we are to love another as He has loved us… and the world is to know of Him by our love for one another!
This is why Paul writes about the importance of love manifested in the fellowship (see v.2) I want you to know that people will NEVER see Christ in your life until you learn to love them as Christ loved them.
Paul goes on to speak about the full riches of complete understanding… There is no greater learning environment than an atmosphere of love and forgiveness…
And this was a very important message for the church to hear because there were those who wanted the church to crumble and fall, but Paul was faithful to the call of Christ on his life and he had the guts to stand and speak the Gospel to ALL people.
The point for the believer to remember is that when we love God and cling to His will and way, we are going to love others into the family…
3. The Guidance for Paul’s Concern (v.4-5)
4 I am saying this SO THAT NO ONE WILL DECEIVE YOU with persuasive arguments. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the strength of your faith in Christ. Col 2:4-5 (HCSB)
The guidance or the reason behind his concern for these churches is the simple fact that Paul did not want them to fall prey to this heresy that there was some special knowledge and that Christ was NOT enough for salvation!
For the everyday new believer these Gnostic-type teachers came across like someone who knew what they were talking about and they could persuade those who were new in the faith to follow their teaching.
And this is why Paul stresses the brotherly love to those who were new in the faith… this love would be a buffer zone and would help them to band together and stand against the heresy that was being taught!
If some believer did not feel loved or did not believe that he or she fit in… the clever and persuasive arguments of these Gnostic-type teachers would win them over because they had NO one to help them refute the false doctrine being taught!
Even today this is something we must guard against in the church. We are called by God to love one another, not just for love’s sake, but as a practical matter to fold all believers into the fellowship. To make all feel welcome and help them to see the difference between true and false teachings.
When we do not take care of our own, Satan is there to scoop them up and deceive them with any wind of doctrine that could catch their eyes and ears!
A recent survey of converts to Mormonism has revealed that the greatest number of new converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are those coming out of a Baptist background… those who feel disenfranchised and alone… those who are not feeling loved in the fellowship where they were serving…
This is a sad commentary on the church today, but it is a fact and we need to get back to loving each other as Christ has commanded us to love… love like He loves us!
Paul’s passion for Christ is evident in his passion for these 2 churches that he had NEVER visited… I pray that our passion for Christ overflows the walls of this building and spills out into our community and souls are won to Christ!
Conclusion:
As bro jerry comes, what is your passion for the lost like? What is your passion for your fellow believers like? Is it like that of the Apostle Paul? Christ calls us to love so that the world would know us by our love… and would know the source of our love!
