Colossians Ch1v28-Ch2v7 - Mature Together

[0:00] Well, good morning everyone, nice to see you.

[0:20] Just one other small announcement. Church Directory and Prayer Diary. So, there's a copy for each family there on the table as you came in.

[0:35] It'll just help you know who's around, who's about. And you can use it as a prayer guide to be praying for one another. So, that's available this morning as well.

[0:49] We're looking in Colossians. So, if you'd like to turn in your Bibles to Colossians. I haven't got a page number. If somebody can help me out, if they're using a red-covered Bible.

[1:03] 1182. There we go. We're going to start at the end of chapter 1, verse 28.

[1:16] So, let's hear God's word together.

[1:33] Colossians 1, starting at verse 28. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

[1:53] To this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

[2:12] My goal 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, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[2:36] I tell you this, so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and delight to see how disciplined you are, and how firm your faith in Christ is.

[2:59] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

[3:18] Well, keep your Bibles open. We're going to pray, and then look at God's word together. So let's pray. Father, thank you for your truth, for your wisdom, and for your knowledge that we have just read.

[3:39] And we ask for your Holy Spirit's power to help us to be wise in applying your word and understanding your word.

[3:51] That it would penetrate deep in our life so that it would change us and mould us and shape us into the people you have called us and created us to be.

[4:07] So do your work in us today, we pray, for our good and your glory. In Jesus' name.

[4:19] Amen. Well, what's your purpose? What's your aim and your goal in life?

[4:30] What gets you up in the morning and drives you through the day? What are you hoping to achieve? Or what are you hoping to become? Maybe your purpose is simply just to have a happy life.

[4:45] Maybe your desire is to get married someday. Maybe your aim is to be successful and financially stable. Or maybe your goal in life is just to be a good person, a good friend, a good parent.

[5:03] What are you seeking to achieve or become? Well, in our reading, we discovered that the Apostle Paul, who's writing to a church in Colossae, tells us what his purpose in life is.

[5:20] It comes in the end of verse 28. He says that we, speaking of him and his fellow workers, that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

[5:36] That's his aim. That's his goal. That's his purpose. To present everyone fully mature in Christ.

[5:49] It's a wonderful picture. He's looking forward to the end of time when we will all stand before God. And his aim is to present to God the church in Colossae as Christ-like.

[6:04] His purpose is to present them to God as ready and acceptable to God. It's a bit like a bride on her wedding day.

[6:17] Not that I know from experience, but for those brides who do get married, they spend their day getting their hair done, hours upon hours. Then the nails get done.

[6:28] Then it's the makeup and then it's the dress fitting and it takes such an age. Why? Because they're getting themselves presentable, to be acceptable, to be made beautiful.

[6:43] Well, that's Paul's purpose here. He wants to present the church, the people of God, as beautiful, acceptable, that they would be Christ-like before God.

[6:59] That's my aim, he says. That's my goal, to present you mature in Christ. Now let's go back to the question we asked ourselves at the beginning.

[7:13] What's our goal and our aim and purpose in life? It's quite a challenge, isn't it? I don't think. Maybe you did. I certainly didn't wake up this morning, even having prepared all this, thinking, I must become mature in Christ.

[7:32] I had a lot of other things in my mind. So, let's think about what it is to be mature in Christ together. It's a great goal and it's a great purpose.

[7:45] But maybe you're thinking, look, there's no way I could ever become mature in Christ. There's not a chance that I could be made acceptable before God.

[7:57] I mean, if you could see my life, it's a mess. It's one failure after another. Maybe it's possible for some people, but it's certainly not for me.

[8:10] Well, look carefully at what it says in verse 28. What did he say? To present who? everyone mature in Christ.

[8:21] Everyone means anyone can be made presentable. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done or where you come from. you can become mature in Christ.

[8:37] And let's be clear, it's also guaranteed. The purpose, again, verse 28, is to present everyone fully mature in Christ.

[8:50] A bit behind the slides there. To present everyone fully mature in Christ. on the last day as you stand before God, you will be not partly acceptable, not halfway there, but that you would be completely presentable.

[9:10] You see, messy people like us can be made fully mature in Christ. We can be made beautiful and acceptable before God.

[9:25] So how do we become mature in Christ? Well, three things we're going to look at that are going to show us how people like us can become mature before God.

[9:38] three things. We believe the message of Christ, we share the treasures in Christ, and we continue the walk with Christ.

[9:50] So first, to be made mature, we believe the message of Christ. Let's read all of verse 28.

[10:02] He is the one we proclaim admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

[10:13] You see, to become mature, we believe the message. That's what it says at the beginning of verse 28. He, that is, Christ, is the one we proclaim.

[10:28] It's not that Paul has some special power to magically make everybody mature, as if he stands over people and raises his hands and goes, you are mature in Christ, and zap, just like that it happens.

[10:43] No, he simply proclaims the message of Christ. Do you remember what the message of Christ is? Have a look back at chapter 1, verse 21.

[10:59] Verse 21, he says, once you were alienated, alienated, that is, you were separated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour, but now, so God has done something, he has reconciled you, he's brought you back into relationship with God by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight, without blemish, and free from accusation.

[11:33] Can you see what's going on there? On the cross as Jesus died, an exchange takes place. Christ takes all our unholiness, all our sinful, blemished lives, and in its place he gives us his purity, so that Christ can present us to God, how?

[11:58] Look at the end of verse 22, as holy in his sight, without blemish, and free from accusation. You see, to be mature in Christ is a status.

[12:13] It's something God declares us to be as we trust in Christ. It's not something we earn or deserve, it's something that God gives to you, it's something we receive by faith.

[12:29] You are made mature in Christ, you are made acceptable, you are made beautiful, because God takes the beauty and the purity of Christ and gives it to you.

[12:44] Now, that's not how any of us think, is it? Our default position is always to think, I must do something. Tell me what it is that I have to do to make myself acceptable and beautiful before God.

[13:03] Now, we've got to change that kind of thinking. So, he says, verse 28, he says, we proclaim Christ admonishing and teaching everyone.

[13:18] You see, we always fall into this trap of thinking that we have to do something, that if I put in the right kind of effort, I will be presentable. No, we need to be admonished about that.

[13:32] That means we need to be corrected about that wrong kind of belief. We need to be taught with what's right, with the message of Christ. So, imagine after our time here together, we're back there having our tea and coffee and someone comes and you go to someone and you ask them, how are you doing today?

[13:56] And they answer, I feel terrible. My life is such a mess. I fail so often. I let myself down, I let others down, I let God down.

[14:10] What are you going to say to them? Well, we need to admonish one another. We need to correct what we think we must do and instruct each other in what God has done.

[14:25] in Christ we have been reconciled. We are now, if we are trusting Christ, holy in his sight, without blemish, free from accusation.

[14:39] God makes us presentable. He makes you beautiful. God makes you acceptable before him.

[14:49] now, all of this teaching requires great wisdom, doesn't it? Because that's what he says. Follow with me again, verse 28.

[15:00] He's the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. You see, understanding and believing the message is not something we can do ourselves.

[15:17] we can't generate the power and say, yes, I understand, yes, I believe. We need God's wisdom, not our own, but his.

[15:28] And where does that wisdom come from? Well, go back to chapter 1, verse 9. The middle of verse 9. He says, we continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

[15:52] You see, it's the Holy Spirit who gives us wisdom, who gives us understanding about the message of Christ. So we need to be asking for the Spirit's help to believe and apply the message of Christ to our life.

[16:10] I can't make anybody believe, I can't make myself believe, but the Spirit at work in me helps me and enables me to believe and to trust.

[16:21] That's why we started our time this morning. Do you remember the first thing Ralph did was pray and ask for God's help. As we began our study in Colossians, we stopped and we prayed for the Holy Spirit to help us.

[16:37] We need his work in our life to give us wisdom and understanding. healing. That's how we together become mature. It's not something we achieve on our own, it's something that God does in us by his Holy Spirit.

[16:56] So first, how do we become mature? We believe the message of Christ. second then, how do we become mature?

[17:11] We share the treasures in Christ. Let's jump down to chapter 2 verse 2. He says, my goal, my aim, my 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 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[17:47] Now that's a really long complicated sentence, isn't it? It's far too long. Well, for me anyway. What's it saying to us? Well, the big idea of these few verses is that we become mature as we share the treasures that are found in Christ.

[18:07] So let's kind of break that down and look at each point together. First, we learn together. Let's read verse 2 again. My goal is that they, the church, may be encouraged and united in love.

[18:23] He wants the church to be together, encouraging and united. Why? so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding.

[18:36] You see, the aim here is still the same. Let's not lose the focus. The aim is still that we would become fully mature in Christ. However, that's not something we do in isolation.

[18:48] We learn together. It's our togetherness, as we are united together as God's people, that gives us the full riches of complete understanding.

[19:01] So you've probably experienced this, that when you learn something, and you do it on your own, well, you learn a little bit, don't you? You learn something.

[19:13] But it's so much richer and better when we are learning together. We gain so much more. You see, when God saved us, he saved us into a family, into his church.

[19:26] He gave to us brothers and sisters, just like we're gathered here today. Because maturity in Christ is not just an individual pursuit for one person saying, oh, that's what I'm going to do.

[19:39] No, it's a community project. This is God's purpose for us all together. And we're responsible for one another. As we gather here today, one of the reasons why we're coming together is to say, you know what, you're to become mature in Christ, you're to become mature in Christ, I'm to become mature in Christ, and we can't do it on our own.

[20:06] We need the support and the help of each other. So what do we learn as we gather together? Well, we learn together, look at the end of verse 2, in order that we may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.

[20:31] We gather together, we learn together, so that together we can know about Christ. You see, Christ is not just any other person.

[20:44] He is unique. He's God. You see what it says there in verse 2? That we would know the mystery of God, namely Christ.

[20:56] We can't know about God unless God reveals himself to us. You wouldn't know anything about me if you never met me.

[21:10] Well, God has done that. He's revealed himself to us through Christ. Look back at chapter 1 verse 19. It says, God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ.

[21:31] All of God is in the person of Christ. That's how unique he is. So, as we're learning together, we're learning about the person of Christ who is God.

[21:46] He's not just any religious kind of person. He is the one that we need to learn about and know about because there's nobody greater than God.

[21:58] In fact, Christ is our treasure. Look at verse 3. in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[22:17] So, as we gather together, we're learning together about Christ because in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[22:31] So, as we come together, it's like a treasure hunt. Do you remember the movie The Goonies back in the 80s? Great movie. You should watch it.

[22:42] A bunch of kids discover a map in the attic. Do you remember the story? Their houses are going to be taken away and they need money to make sure they can keep them.

[22:53] And one of the kids finds this map. It belongs to an old pirate of a few hundred years ago called One-Eyed Willie. And crucially, the map shows where the pirate ship is hidden.

[23:09] It's called the Inferno. And legend has it that on board this ship is gold. And so these kids take this map and the adventure begins and they go in search of the treasure.

[23:23] And then the moment comes when they discover the ship. And it's laden down with gold and precious jewels. Well, as we gather together, as we open up our Bibles together, it's like we're going on a treasure hunt.

[23:42] Verse 3, in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ is the treasure.

[23:55] He's the one who gives us wisdom and knowledge about how to live our life before him. In other words, everything we need to become mature in Christ is found in Christ.

[24:14] Of course, there will be lots of other voices, lots of other so-called wisdom and knowledge will say to you, no, no, no, you can do it yourself. You don't need Christ.

[24:25] You can go it alone. verse 4, I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments.

[24:37] Other people will say, you've got the wisdom within yourself. You've got the knowledge within yourself. But don't be deceived by fine sounding arguments.

[24:51] The treasure, the wisdom and knowledge that we need to live life God's way is found in him. Now, when we've got this treasure, we're to share the treasure with one another, aren't we?

[25:07] That's the whole point of those few verses. Isn't that what Paul did back in verse 28? He had the treasure and he says, I proclaim Christ to you, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom.

[25:25] He shared the treasure. And that's exactly what we're to do. Just have a flick over the page to chapter 3 verse 16. It's almost identical to what Paul said in chapter 1 verse 28.

[25:42] Do you see what it says? Verse 16, chapter 3 verse 16, let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.

[26:00] In other words, it's telling us, share the treasures of Christ, the message of Christ, the word of Christ. Teach and admonish one another, share with each other the wisdom that Christ gives, so that together we can live the life God calls us to.

[26:23] You have it. The treasures are here in God's word. It's like a treasure hunt. So many jewels, so many precious stones, so much to share.

[26:37] That's how we become mature in Christ. We learn together and pass God's truth to one another. So second, share the treasures in Christ.

[26:53] And third, continue the walk with Christ. Continue the walk with Christ. Go back to chapter 2, verse 6.

[27:08] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

[27:18] Christ. You see, we become mature in Christ as we walk with Christ. As you continue to live your lives in him.

[27:30] Literally, it means continue to walk with him. You started your life walking with Christ, now continue walking with Christ.

[27:43] You believed in the message of Christ, Christ. Now continue to believe the message of Christ. You've received the treasures of Christ, now continue in the treasures of Christ.

[27:57] Don't move on to something else or someone else. So what's it going to look like for us together to walk with Christ?

[28:08] Well, three things that we can do together. first, to be rooted in Christ. Let's read verse 6 again.

[28:19] So then, just as you received Christ, Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him.

[28:32] Well, a tree that sends down its roots deep is a tree that's going to grow, isn't it? the deeper the roots, the taller the tree.

[28:45] Well, together we are to send our roots deep into the word of Christ. We need to be intentional about knowing the word of Christ.

[28:57] We need together to search the treasures of Christ. How do we do that? Well, by opening up our Bibles and reading it. Asking God to give you understanding.

[29:10] That's what we are doing together now. This is why we encourage it on a Wednesday to meet together. And if you can't meet Wednesday, meet up with somebody during the week. Come and talk to me.

[29:21] I'd be very happy to meet with you. To read God's word. To go deeper. To get rooted in Christ. So that we become strong and stable.

[29:35] So as we walk with Christ, let's encourage one another to be rooted in Christ. A tree without roots is going to die and topple over.

[29:46] So if we're not rooted and connected in God's word, we're going to fall over with the first bit of storm or trial that comes.

[29:58] So let's encourage each other to be rooted in Christ. second, to be strengthened by Christ. He says we are to be rooted and built up in him and strengthened in the faith as you were taught.

[30:20] Sometimes when we're talking about faith, it refers to our trust in Christ. Other times, the word faith refers to the whole teaching of scripture.

[30:30] And I think that's the case here in verse 7, when it says, strengthened in the faith as you were taught. So how are we going to be strengthened?

[30:43] Well, we need to be people who teach the word about Christ to each other. Okay, I might be teaching this morning, but that doesn't mean to say we can't all teach each other.

[30:57] We're all to be teachers and encouragers building each other up with God's word. That's what we do over tea and coffee. We ask each other questions, we find out how we're doing, so that we can strengthen each other.

[31:17] Maybe you read something this week in the Bible that was encouraging to you. Why can't we share that with somebody else and say, you know what, I read this and it really encouraged me.

[31:30] can't we share this treasure with one another? Going to church, meeting with each other is like going to the gym.

[31:43] You go to the gym to work out to become strong physically. Can't you see? No? And we need to be strong spiritually as well, don't we?

[31:55] And as we're taught in God's word, so we strengthen ourselves. Instead of getting knocked off course, we continue to walk with Christ.

[32:06] So let's encourage one another to be strengthened. And then lastly, to be thankful for Christ. Let me read verse 6 and 7 together.

[32:20] So then, just as you received Christ, continue to live your lives in Christ, rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

[32:38] And we could add there, for Christ. You see, when you thank someone, do you realise what's happening when you thank somebody.

[32:50] You're actually rehearsing everything that they have done for you. It's a retelling, it's a reminder of what they've done. So I had to say thank you to Christy, well I have to say thank you to Christy lots of times.

[33:05] But on this occasion it was saying thank you Christy so much for getting the car sorted, for booking the NCT, for getting it sorted at the garage, for getting the car filled up with petrol.

[33:19] Thank you, I'm so thankful. But you see, in the process of giving thanks, I'm reminding myself all over again of everything that Christy has done. How much more vital is it to be overflowing with thankfulness for all that Christ has done?

[33:38] Because as we thank God, we're rehearsing, we're reminding ourselves of all he's done for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your grace to me. thank you for dying in my place.

[33:52] Thank you for taking my unholiness and my blemishes and my guilt and suffering the judgment I deserve. Thank you that by faith I receive your life, your purity, and that you make me acceptable and beautiful and presentable before before God.

[34:13] Thank you, Jesus, that you can take someone like me and make me beautiful, that you can make me fully mature in Christ.

[34:29] Can you see how overflowing with thankfulness retells the story of what God has done for you? So as we walk with Christ, let's be rooted in Christ.

[34:46] Let's be strengthened by Christ. And let's overflow in thankfulness for Christ. And together, as we share these treasures, we become more mature, we become presentable before God.

[35:08] Let's pray. Let's pray. Thank you, Father God, for all that you have done for us, for taking the initiative, for intervening into our life, for giving us Jesus, so that we can be presentable before you.

[35:45] Thank you that now, as we trust in Christ, you look at us as holy and blameless in your sight. Thank you for that wonderful gift.

[35:58] and please help us that we would go on sharing these treasures with one another and that together we would walk with each other as we walk with Christ, building each other up, strengthening each other, and together overflowing in thankfulness.

[36:22] We praise you for what you have done and what you are doing in us today. In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, we're going to sing together.

[36:41] When you should all know, be thou my vision. There's a verse just to draw your attention to. Comes towards the end there, you can see.

[36:52] riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, thou mine inheritance now and always, thou and thou only, first in my heart, high king of heaven, my treasure thou art.

[37:08] If you are trusting in Christ, well then you'll want to sing this song. Let's stand together if we're able to and we'll sing. ל׍都Cloud Thank you.

[38:05] Thank you.

[38:35] Thank you.

[39:05] Thank you.

[39:35] Thank you.

[40:05] Thank you.

[40:35] Thank you for the treasures, the riches we have seen in your word today. Thank you for Christ. Thank you for all he has done for us.

[40:48] Give us the wisdom and knowledge that we need to live this out in practice this coming week. We thank you for tea and coffee. We thank you for tea and coffee and for time to chat.

[41:00] Thank you for one another. People you have given to us to help us in our walk with you. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Amen.

[41:10] Well, I do encourage you to stay behind for tea and coffee and catch up. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[41:21] Amen. Well, I make you peace. Thank you. Thank you. tout nossa peut. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Awesome girl. Thank you,istan. Thank you. Thank you, you. Thank you.

[41:37] Thank you. They were grand-tees anyway. It was like at least George.

[41:48] Yeah, they were quite important when you played that. Yeah, and if we're trying to play that, I'm not sure if we're going to play that. Yeah, there's probably four different ways to play that.

[42:00] Yeah, and if we're trying to play that, there was one that had recently the movie by Bishar's completely different score. Yeah, the model, they've changed a bit now and then. That's probably the one that leans towards that.

[42:12] Yeah. But again, pace-wise you can do it differently as well. There's a 4-4 or 2-4. .

[42:36] . . . .