Colossians 06: Hosanna in the Highest

Scripture text: Colossians 2:6-15

Paul has told the Colossians that he is writing to them so “that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.” False teaching is beginning to manifest itself in this Christian community from within by people who sound reasonable. How does the church combat false teaching? Everything should be tested against the person and work of Jesus. How do we test everything by the person and work of Jesus? Paul tackles this question in the verse two verses of today’s reading. Specifically, we are to walk “in him” and “with him” [Jesus].

If you have your bibles open, you may want to look again for those specific words, or words like them, in the rest of these verses. Staying in/with Jesus is what one commentator has said is “the scarlet thread through the whole passage.”¹ And so it is. It is so easy to read a passage like this in English and miss this repetition. Look how Paul exhorts the Colossians:

Verse 6: “Walk in him”
Verse 7: “rooted and built up in him”
Verse 9: “for in him the whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily”
Verse 10: “you have been filled in him”
Verse 11: “in him you also were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands.”
Verse 12: “having been buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith”
Verse 13: “and you … God made alive with him”
Verse 15: “He [God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Everything we are as Christians, everything we do as Christians, is to be located first and foremost in and with a person named Jesus.

“On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” All other things that we imagine will fulfill us, pride, money, fame, fortune, sex, substances of all kinds, all of that is sinking sand. The foundation of the Christian and the fullness of the Christian is Jesus Christ and nothing else. Paul is telling the Colossians, and to us, that we should not be looking anywhere else for truth, fullness, or meaning except at Christ. The key teaching of this sermon is that Christians are to stick close to their Savior, especially when encountering enticements and deceptive teaching within the Church. The surest way to remain steadfast in the faith is to stay close to Jesus. The way to stay close to Jesus is by remembering what He did on the cross.

“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6-7). Those who are Christians are those who have received Jesus Christ as the Lord of all. If you are a Christian, this means everything has been turned over to Christ, including your life, breath, money, feelings, emotions, tears, marriage, everything. Notice the Paul says the Colossians have received Christ Jesus as the Lord. They have already shown Paul that they are believers in the word of truth, the gospel. Now in the face of deceptive teaching, Paul exhorts them to remain steadfast in the faith. How do you remain steadfast in the faith? By walking “in him.” That’s a curious phrase, isn’t it? We walk, “in him.” Don’t you normally walk with someone? There’s an intimacy here that bears some exploration. Those who have been graciously transferred into the kingdom of God will only flourish when they walk in Christ. I take that to mean that our lives as Christians must be totally wrapped up in the person of Jesus. I have used the illustration that when you’ve been transferred by God’s gracious action into His Kingdom, you are transferred into a place that is holy, as God is radically holy. The way we survive in such a place given our ongoing battles with sin is by being clothed with Christ. And until the day we are totally sanctified by God, we have to remain in Him. Whenever we walk anywhere, we are careful that we remain in Christ, following wherever He leads.

Walking “in him” brings spiritual growth and flourishing, not unlike that found in a healthy tree. By walking “in him,” the Christian’s faith will remain “rooted and built up in him.” Christ is the foundation of Christian life, but also the source of growth as the Christian matures in the faith to the glory of God. And those so rooted and built up by Christ are to abound in thanksgiving for the mighty act God has completed on their behalf. Do you regularly give thanks to God for saving you? I’m challenged by that every day. It is so easy to take the gift of salvation for granted, isn’t it? So many Christians live as if being sprinkled with water and saying the right words is sufficient for a lifelong commitment to Christ. But this passage makes it clear that the rites of Christian initiation mark only the very beginning of Christian discipleship. One of the responsibilities of Christian life is to give abounding thanksgiving. Our lives ought to be characterized by the constant, overflowing, thanksgiving to God in our prayers, at work, in our homes, with our families, and especially with our brother and sisters in Church. Our worship is one of the ways we give thanks to God for his abundant provision for our salvation from sin and death and hell by the glorious work of his son. Paul reminds the Colossians and us that Christians are a people who stay with Christ and constantly give thanks to God for His abundant grace. We are a hosanna people.

Jesus’ claim on our lives total. He is Lord. But we are also still sinners, and so we are prey for those who would attempt to deceive us and draw us away from Christ. We are susceptible to the temptations of worldly authorities and idols that try to persuade us not to rely on Christ alone for our fullness, for our completeness. This is what was happened to the Colossians. “Teachers” had infiltrated their ranks, and, using plausible, persuasive arguments, were trying to convince them that their personal “fullness” was, as one commentator puts it, “beyond their grasp unless they took sufficient account of the spiritual powers and followed a strict discipline of ritual and ascetic observance.”²

After exhorting the Colossians to be “rooted and built up in him” and “abounding in faith”, Paul will show them how they are being tempted by false teaching, into thinking that faith alone in Christ isn’t sufficient. The temptation is that they will be taken “captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” I mentioned one way that this kind of thing happens in the church when I mentioned the influence of the best-selling book, “the Secret.” Another example can be found in the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Jesus entered as the king, and is acknowledged by such with the shouts of the crowd in Matthew 21:9, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” They are praising Jesus as the King, which is the right thing to do, but they are doing it from a worldly perspective, based on human traditions and understandings of who a king should be and what a king ought to do. From the worldly view, the king is supposed to raise up armies to defeat oppressive, occupying regime’s like that of the Roman Empire. They don’t go around turning over the tables in the temple, proclaiming woes on the highly esteemed Pharisees and Sadducees, all the while making claims. The crowds expected a king according to the worldly philosophies, human traditions, and elemental spirits of the world. They were really only interested in what Jesus might do for them. They were no so interested in just him. That’s our temptation today, too. We are sorely tempted to honor and love Jesus based on the good things he gives us, rather than honor and love Jesus for who he is the glorious Son of God who is God. We have the benefit of seeing, in God’s Word, who Jesus really is. What a wonderful gift. When He is seen for who he is, we can’t help but shout out, “Lord, ‘save I pray!’” Hosanna!

So how should Christians live in Christ? First, we are to always be on our guard.

[8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

It is likely that in Colossae there were some peddling false teachings called “philosophies”. The famous Jewish historian Josephus called the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees “philosophies.” These teaching are false, “empty deceits” because they are wholly from the world, the “elemental spirits of the world”, and are not the truth that is found only in Christ.

We cannot know definitively what these “philosophies” consisted of, but we get a sense of their impact by what Paul says here. He seems to make references to terms being used by the false teachers, terms like “fullness.” It is likely that the false teachers in Colossae were attempting to persuade the Colossians that real spiritual “fullness” could only be achieved by adopting certain “philosophies” being taught by the false teachers. This sets off alarm bells for Paul, who knows that the Colossians have already received all the fullness of God’s grace, mercy, and love having received Christ as Lord.

And so Paul reminds them that it this fullness is found only in Christ:

[9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

If you are a Christian, you have been filled up in Christ with all of the hope and joy of the riches of God Almighty. Christians do not lack any spiritual necessity of life and they share in the rule and authority of the one who has saved them.

Paul continues by reminding the Colossians, and us today, what was received when we were brought to faith in Christ:

[11] In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Notice the language here. The Colossians have been “circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands.” What kind of circumcision is this? Physical circumcision was a mark of being a part of the covenant nation of Israel. The Colossians were primarily Gentiles. So Paul is telling the Colossians that they, too, have been brought into God’s covenant family with a circumcision that He performed for them. It was a circumcision of the heart like that promised in Deuteronomy 30:6, when Moses said, “[6] And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” In that act, God buried their old, dead lives and were raised with Jesus by the powerful work of God signified in their baptisms. From then on, a Christian is a resurrection being. Have you been convicted by that truth, that the resurrection from the dead is so sure and certain that if you are in Christ, it is as if such your resurrection from the dead has already happened? Doesn’t this assurance open the door to joyful obedience, free from fear and anxiety because you’ve already received the fullness of God’s promise in Jesus Christ your Lord? Shouldn’t this truth give Christians great strength and courage? Doesn’t this mean that Christians have free reign to give their money away, because they have all the riches they need in Christ? Doesn’t this mean that Christians should be able to proclaim their faith in Jesus without fear, because all the approval they need in their life is made full and complete by God’s acceptance and approval in Christ?

Just how full and complete is this acceptance? Check this out:

[13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The Colossians were dead in their trespasses, and were not a part of God’s covenant family because they lacked the physical sign of their inclusion, circumcision. But now having been circumcised by God spiritually, they have been made alive with Christ, and all of those sins are forgiven. Verse 14 speaks of a “record of debt” that stood against “us” (notice that Paul, who was circumcised, includes himself even though he was circumcised). God took that legal document, that list of sin-debts that he was totally within His rights to demand from us, and in nailed it to the cross. Those sins died with Christ, and were forgotten, and all the rulers and authorities plotting against God’s people were utterly defeated.

I recently saw a terrific video on the Internet that used great imagery to describe what Jesus did by his death. We start out life with an unpayable debt of sin to our Creator. But he, in his grace, made payment of that debt on our behalf by writing out a check with the precious blood of Jesus shed on the Cross. And it was Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, which we celebrate every Sunday and especially next Sunday, that showed the universe that the check cleared, and that we were clear of the debt.

Why wouldn’t we want to live in and with the One who did such a gracious thing on our behalf? Why wouldn't we shout, with the crowds, "Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Amen.

¹O’Brien, Peter. Colossians, Philemon. Mexico: Thomas Nelson, 2000. 104.
²Ibid., 114.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
April 17, 2011
Palm Sunday
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

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The Idolatry of Pride

This morning I experienced a social networking convergence on the subject of pride, the über-sin.  First, there was this tweet from Desiring God:

Then, along came this awesome post by Russell Moore entitled The Normalization of Pride. Here's the opening graph [emphasis added by me]:

Pride is, by definition, idolatrous and insurrectionist because it is rooted in ingratitude. It glorifies the creature over against the Creator and claims the inheritance rights of image-bearers without acknowledging that we have these things because we reflect an image, not because we are ultimate (Rom. 1:22–23).

And now I can't get Good Friday out of my head. Pride-filled humanity crucified the Son of God.

Quote of the Day: Active vs. Passive Worship

We've just started a new Sunday morning bible study which will go through the entire book of Leviticus. I just ran across this quote on the purpose of the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:

Using a little imagination every reader of the OT soon realizes that these ancient sacrifices were very moving occasions. They make modern church services seem tame and dull by comparison. The ancient worshipper did not just listen to the minister and sing a few hymns. He was actively involved in the worship. He had to choose an unblemished animal from his own flock, bring it to the sanctuary, kill it and dismember it with his own hands, then watch it go up in smoke before his very eyes. He was convinced that something very significant was achieved through these acts and knew that his relationship with God was profoundly affected by this sacrifice.

-- From Gordon J. Wenham's commentary The Book of Leviticus, page 55.

Colossians 05: Steadfast in the Faith

Scripture Text: Colossians 2:1-5

Paul, writing to a group of believers he as not met, has told the Colossians how he rejoices even as he suffers for their faith, and that his ministry is to be a good steward of the deposit of truth given to him, that in Jesus Christ salvation has come to the nations. He also explained to them how his ministry was one of proclamation, and of warning and teaching everyone so that they may appear before Christ as mature believers, sanctified in holiness at the day of the Lord’s coming. We said that the church today is engaged in the same mission – proclaiming salvation in Christ, and warning and teaching disciples so that they may be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

Having described his ministry in more general terms, Paul will now tell the Colossians how he as struggled on their behalf and for the other Christian churches that were planted in the region. Also in this reading, Paul will make his first mention of the false teaching that is making some inroads in the Colossian church.

The question before us today is this: How does the Church maintain the faith when it is infiltrated by false teaching? Answer: By remaining steadfast in Christ who is the Truth.

Any teaching that purports to be “Christian” but does not reflect the beauty and wonder of Jesus’ saving person, work, and teaching is not true!

How Does False Teaching Make It’s Way Into the Church?

What we see in the New Testament, in the gospel and in the epistles, is a constant contention for the truth. Jesus spoke the truth about God and Himself and could quickly see through pretense and falsehood. Paul writes multiple times to contend for the truth of Christ against false teachers. We see this very clearly in our study of Galatians, here in Colossians, and also in 1 Timothy and elsewhere. Jesus himself warned his followers about the deceptions false prophets in Matthew 7:15:

[15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Later, in Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus warns his followers, “See that no one leads you astray. [5] For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. In the same chapter, Jesus twice instructs his followers to beware of those falsely claiming to have prophetic knowledge of God.

Jude, the brother of James and of Our Lord, writing to the church at roughly the same time as Paul, says,

[3] Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. [4] For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Notice that the false teaching is here being promoted by people who have “crept” into the church “unnoticed.” That is, the false teaching is coming from within, not from outside, by those claiming the title of brother or sister in Christ. The effect of false teaching on the church was the perversion of “the grace of our God into sensuality” and the denial “our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” The denial of God’s grace and the denial of Jesus as Lord and Master are nothing less than a denial of the gospel!

Peter was also called upon to combat false teaching in the church in 2 Peter:

[2:1] But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. [3] And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Again, the false teachers come from “among you,” from among the body of those claiming to be believers, not from the outside. It’s this insider status that gives the false teaching cache. Notice again how the false teachers deny the Master, Jesus. As a result, their teaching is classified as “destructive,” because those who would persuade people to believe a false gospel are leading people to destruction.

The impetus for Paul’s letter to the Colossians to call them to remain steadfast in the faith in the face of false, deceptive teaching. In Colossians 2:4, Paul writes these words, which also show us this false teaching finds its way into the church:

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

We can infer from this that there were false teachers in the church of Colossae who were teaching false doctrines. They were persuasive because, as was the case with Jude and Peter, (1) they were “insiders”, and (2) they employed “plausible arguments.” Naturally, those who would deceive the church will employ arguments that at first glance appear “plausible.” Implausible, outrageous arguments from outside generally get no traction, do they? No, it’s the smooth, polite talk from those inside, claiming authority from God, that gets attention and attracts people.

Just as this was the case in the early church, there are those today who would attempt to delude the contemporary church in the same way, making arguments which on the surface seem plausible, but which are in fact a denial of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Multiple New York Times bestsellers have been authored by people making plausible arguments that are deceive the faithful. As I was preparing this week, I read Eugene Peterson’s translation of this same verse (Colossians 2:4) his paraphrase of the bible called “The Message”:

I'm telling you this because I don't want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or "the Secret."

Peterson first published his paraphrase of the New Testament back in 1993, and it turns out he was prophetic in this translation, because thirteen years later a new-age, power of positive thinking book called “The Secret” would be published to great success. Here’s the publisher’s blurb for “The Secret”:

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

Millions of copies of the book have been sold in multiple languages to millions of buyers, including many Christians.

Where Are True Wisdom and Knowledge to Be Found? In Christ Alone.

So where can true wisdom and knowledge be found? That’s what Paul shows us in verse 1-3.

[2:1] 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.

Paul first gives an account of his personal concern for the church in Colossae and the other churches in the region on Laodicea. The “for” in verse one connects this personal concern for them with Paul’s larger apostolic ministry.

Given what Paul will say in verse 4 about being deluded by persuasive arguments, Paul states the reasons for his struggles on their behalf. It is so that their “hearts may be encouraged.” Earlier, in chapter one, Paul reported his prayer of thanksgiving to God for the Colossians, because Paul had hear about their faith in Jesus and how that faith had translated into love for the saints because of the hope laid up for them in heaven. This is a group of faithful, loving, Christian believers in Colossae who Paul is addressing. He wants them to stay firm in the faith. He wants those loving hearts to be encouraged and tightly knit together, so that they might “reach all the riches of understanding and knowledge of God’s mystery” (2:3).

My heart longs for you to have these same things, hearts of love for one other, tightly knit together so that sin and falsehood might not seep in a corrupt a people who are holy in the Lord Jesus Christ. My heart longs for you to have a kind of built-in radar that is quick to flag falsehoods parading around as truth. My desire is that you also remain steadfast in your faith, obeying God’s commandments and council as those who have been transferred into a kingdom of holiness and righteousness, listening to the divine Teacher whispering in your ear, as it says in Isaiah 30:21

[21] And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

My longing is that our congregation will be a place of grace and truth.

There is still the matter of answering the question, “Where Are True Wisdom and Knowledge to Be Found?” Where are all “the riches of full assurance of understanding and knowledge God’s mystery” to be found? The answer comes at the end of verse 2 and continues in verse 3, where these things are “Christ, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

It is in Christ that we find all the riches of faith, of understanding and knowledge of God plan of salvation. If you want understanding and knowledge of God’s plan, isn’t that another way of saying you want the truth? John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is truth.

For those who believe, every bit of life should be tested and tried by the person and work of Jesus. Every decision of life, of what to buy, wear, read, listen to, eat, all of it ought to be informed, not just by “What Would Jesus Do?” but by what Jesus has done and who he is. The gospel of grace in Jesus Christ crucified puts to shame all worldly wisdom, all attempts to discover “The Secret” to personal prosperity, sin-excusing liberality and all other kinds self-salvation projects. What does this mean? It means, for example, when I’m considering whether or not to, say, marry this particular person, will that marriage be founded upon the sacrificial love Christ for His Church, or will it be founded on some worldly notion of self-obsessed romance? When my neighbor defrauds me, will I seek revenge, or will I seek to forgive, as God in Jesus Christ has already forgiven me? When I discover that I have committed a sin, will I rest in peaceful assurance knowing that Jesus paid it all for me and rejoice in repentance, or will I succumb to the anxious need to perform some work of penance to demonstrate my worthiness, a worthiness I’ve already received by the blood of Christ? When I see someone who is hungry, will I feed them, as Christ feeds me with his Word and His sacrament, or will that pressing appointment get in the way? The standard of all Godly wisdom and knowledge is found in Christ alone, and nowhere else, no-self help manuals will do, especially those like the one saw earlier in the consignment store entitled “Project Me.” Truth is found when we rest entirely in God’s grace in Christ. Everything else is a mirage, false promises based on false assumptions leading to failure, unquenched guilt and death. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, examine your consciences. How do you evaluate the truth? By looking to the Cross, or by looking somewhere else?

A last word about verse 5, which reads: “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.:

Although he is struggling for the Colossians, Paul rejoices, because the are showing “good order,” which is another way of saying “unity,” and are firm in their faith. People who love each other will tend stick together. But what makes the bond of Christian fellowship unbreakable is nothing we do, but a unity of faith in what Christ has accomplished for his people by his death and resurrection. Such faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, the pursuit of understanding and knowledge, the truth, is the pursuit of Jesus Christ. Perhaps this day you are hearing a whisper from the Holy Spirit to join this pursuit. If you hear it, don’t delay. Confess, repent, and receive him as Lord, as the Truth that reigns in love over all things, including your life. Receive him, and be at peace. Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
April 10, 2011
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

Robbed Hell

Nothing beats a great parody:

Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

Colossians 04: The Hope of Glory - Christ in You

Scripture Text: Colossians 1:24-29

Last week we covered the great hymn celebrating the preeminence of Christ over all things in heaven and on earth and the precious gift of his reconciling blood, the precious redemption of sinners from every background, whether Jew or Gentile. We learned again of God’s power and might to reconcile His people to Himself through the vicarious sacrifice of His beloved Son, so that we rebels might become the holy ones of God, saints in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We now forge ahead to Colossians 1:24-29. In this passage, Paul, who has never met with the Colossians in person, describes his ministry to the larger early church. Here we learn that the ministry of the church involves seemingly contradictory experiences, namely joy and suffering. We also learn that the ministry of proclaiming Christ as Lord, the good news, involves warning as well as teaching. This in turn tell us something critical about what it means to be a disciples, something we’ll discuss near the end of this message. The end-goal of this ministry will be the subject of next week’s message.

Let’s get right into the text, beginning with verse 24, where Paul is inspired to write:

[24] Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

Two big questions hit us right here in these verses. First, why is Paul able to rejoice in suffering for the sake of others, include those like the Colossians whom he likely never met? Second, Paul writes, “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church”. Is Paul suggesting that the suffering of Christ was someone insufficient in some way? These are huge questions, and we’ll soon see that they are connected.

The Big Question: Why is Paul able to rejoice in sufferings for the sake of others?

The first thing we should note before we try to answer this question is that suffering and joy are not automatically contradictory ideas. Christians suffer and as they suffer they rejoice. One of the most profound texts which reflect this sentiment comes from is Romans 8:

[16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The children of God, who are the fellow-heirs with Christ, will frequently be called upon to experience suffering as Jesus did. And what these verses show us in Romans is that this is one of the ways the Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are, in fact, children of God. This suffering is not without purpose, and is the means by which will become heirs to Christ’s glory.

The real reason for Paul’s rejoicing in the midst of suffering is found in the second half of the verse. There, he writes “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” So, in order to understand how this gives joy to Paul, we need to understand the rest of the verse. What does Paul mean when he says he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? Is Paul suggesting that that Jesus accomplished by his death was somehow insufficient? The answer to this question must be “no”, because if it was “yes” it would contradict what he just said earlier in verse 19:

[19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Paul must mean something else when he says that he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

In fact, there is another way to look at that statement. Specifically, I think what Paul is saying is that there has been an appointed amount of suffering that will be endured by the faithful. Paul knows this personally in his own life, because what happened when he was called to be an apostle by the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we first mean Paul, called Saul in Acts 8, he is inflicting suffering upon the church. He is present at the stoning of Stephen and “approved of his execution” [Acts 8:1]. Now he’s on his way to Damascus with letters to the synagogues at that city “[9:2] … so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Along the way, Paul encounters the risen Lord, who asks Saul, “Saul, Saul, why to you persecute me?” Paul says, “Who are you, Lord?” to which he receives the reply, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” Paul receives instructions from our Lord to go ahead to Damascus, where for three days he was without his sight.

We then read about a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord speaks to Ananias and instructs him to visit Paul. He is told that he will lay hands on Paul and thereby restore his sight. Here’s what Ananias says:

[13] But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. [14] And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” [15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Paul was called into ministry as an apostle and was called to suffer for the sake of the one whom he had caused to suffer by persecuting the church. So Paul is at one level, joyous because he is obeying the command of his Lord. He also rejoices because he is, in his suffering, fulfilling on behalf of others the full measure of suffering appointed for the saints, so that his brothers and sisters in Colossae might not have to suffer as much. In others words, he suffers for the sake of his love for others, because of the love shown to him by Christ.

We live in a time when suffering is seen almost exclusively as the exception to the norm of happy living and prosperity. Entire false gospels have been created to accommodate the idea that Christians ought to be immune from suffering. Having been sold this bill of goods, what do you think happens to the faith of the one who is happily going along in life one minute, but then finds themselves with painful cancer the next? Because they’ve previously believed the lie that Christians are immune to suffering, that person will think, falsely, that their flagging faith must be the cause of their suffering. The contrast is what we read in God’s Word, which shows us clearly that God’s people might be specifically called into a ministry of suffering because they are his people by faith. The same is true in the Old Testament as well. Joseph was beaten up, sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned, enduring all kinds of suffering. Did he lose faith? No! Instead, at the end of Genesis, what does Joseph say to his brothers, who were worried about what Joseph might do to them after their father, Jacob died? “[Genesis 50:19] But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? [20] As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

So Paul rejoices in his suffering because he knows that by it the suffering of his brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, the church, will themselves be preserved from some measure of suffering. The more Paul takes on, the less his beloved brothers and sisters will have to take on.

As you read Acts and Paul’s other letters, it is clear that his suffering is a result of his ministry to preach the gospel. He describes the ministry itself this way:

[24] Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, [25] of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

He describes what he proclaims as a mystery which has been hidden for a long time and which is now, in the proclamation of the Word of God, revealed to all of the saints, the holy ones of God who have been called by God from death to eternal life by the power of His Word.

Paul’s ministry was specifically to the Gentiles, non-Jews:

[27] To them [the holy ones of God, the saints] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

THE GOSPEL: The mystery revealed to the saints is nothing less that the fullness of God’s blessings and wealth bestowed in a spectacular way, through the indwelling of Christ within the saints.

This is huge. Let me ask you a question? When you woke up for church this morning, did you realize that Christ is alive in you? That you have been indwelt by the Risen Lord and appointed to a ministry? Do you realize the implications of this? If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, and have the hope of glory living in you (meaning, you have the hope of being glorified with Christ when the kingdom comes), that means everything you do and say ought to be informed first and foremost by the Savior who has indwelt you by the loving grace of God. If you are known publicly to be a Christian, therefore, what will people conclude if they see you engaged in decidedly un-Christian, worldly conduct? If Christ is in you by faith, and you sin, who is reputation is sullied? This is why Paul is so passionate about the lives of the saints he saves. This is why all of his letters have lengthy sections of exhortations and admonitions to live as holy people, because if Christ is in you, you are holy people.

Remember, you’ve been transferred. You live in the new kingdom of light by grace through faith in the crucified Christ and are able to survive the holiness of the kingdom of God because you are indwelt and clothed with Christ. In Christ, you are reckoned holy even though you sin. The ministry of the church, then, is to teach and guide and admonish those who have been saved so that they might be equipped to live lives of holiness.

That is why the ministry of the church isn’t just to entertain you and provide you with something to do for an hour each Sunday. I thoroughly enjoyed my seminary education, but I do not recall at any time anyone telling me that my job would entail giving warnings, something Paul makes crystal clear in the last two verses of today’s reading:

[28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The objective of the ministry of the church, which includes everyone called by God, not just me, is to warn people of sin and the dangers of the world which would abandon us to the wrath of God, and to teach holiness in the wisdom of God so that the people of God are presented mature, fully developed to Christ when he comes. As you look at the activities of a particular church, how many of them are related to warning and teaching, as opposed to something else? How many of them are designed to make mature believers, or continually happy clubbers? This word from Paul is why, whenever we baptize someone, we pledge on behalf of the universal church of Christ to bring a young person up in the faith, so that he or she may one day confess Christ as Lord and Savior. But the call to teach and to warn does not end there! We fail our young people when we confirm kids and send them on their way, happy to have added their number to the roll, but never considering that they, like us, need continue refining and preparation for the day of the coming of the Lord. Who is glorified in that scenario? The church gets the glory of a larger membership number and pictures in the paper, but is Christ glorified if we then say, well, that’s that! Loved ones, we are never finished with our pursuit of holiness! We are all in need of it because we are all still sinners! What if our Lord comes tonight? Would he find us engaged in holiness or in something else? The warning today is that he is most assuredly coming, beloved. And the teaching today is that we must continue steadfast in the Lord, proclaiming him to the spiritually dead, listening to his Word every day and asking the Holy Spirit to apply it to our hearts, so that we are prepared for the suffering he has appointed for us, so that we might be holy and blameless at the time of his coming. Nobody here is as ready as they need to be, including me. So today’s text is a reminder that we have been called to be holy, so we now need to be what our Lord has called us to be by continually trusting in his abundant grace and sanctifying mercy. Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
March 3, 2011
4th Sunday in Lent
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

Colossians 03: Who He Is, and What He Has Done

Scripture Text: Colossians 1:15-23

We continue our study of Colossians this week in chapter 1:15-23. Remember that Paul is writing to a newly birthed church in Colossae that is likely composed primarily of Gentile Christians – non-Jews who have heard the message of salvation brought to them by their fellow-countryman Epaphras. They receive the gospel from him with gladness and as a result had become members of the divine household of faith. As a result, they had a sure and certain hope of eternal life with God. In 1:3-8, Paul reports to them his prayer of thanksgiving to God for the great love the Colossians have shown to “all the saints.” This love was an overflow of the love shown to them by God through the forgiveness of their sins by the blood of Christ. We said that Christians who have known the salvation of Christ will feel such love that they cannot help themselves, their vocation, their whole lives becomes characterized by loving Christian service which flows forth without any need for reciprocation, so that the love of the Christian is an overflow, an extension of the love of Christ shown towards them, which glorifies Christ.

In 1:9-14, Paul reports to the Colossians his prayers of intercession on their behalf, that they would receive the knowledge and wisdom of God so that they might “[10] … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Paul shows us, then, two ways in which Christians engage in prayer on behalf of others, and we were challenged by this text to keep our own brothers and sisters in prayer, that they might know the know the grace of God more deeply, and develop a deeper knowledge of the God who has saved them, so that they might be sanctified and prepared for the last day. Part of loving others in the church is to express a longing that the Lord will finish in them the great work He started when they were made alive in Christ (Philippians 1:6).

We also considered how the Christian develops a deeper knowledge of God, and we showed how that knowledge comes primarily to us when the Holy Spirit applies God’s Word to our hearts in preaching. Last week, I happened across a “Tweet” which spoke nicely to this. Someone, another preacher I think, said, “Do you want to hear God speak to you? Read your bible. Do you want to hear God speak to you audibly? Read the bible aloud.” We are shaped, molded, surgically repaired (sometimes painfully), and made holy when God’s word is preached and incorporated into us by the Holy Spirit. Just as God spoke the universe into existence through his Speech, he brings new life to spiritually dead people through the preached word, through speech inspired and guided by His own Holy Spirit.

This kind of speech is absolutely critical to us because Christians are people who have been transferred into a new kingdom reality. They are picked up, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and placed into a new kingdom where they need a roadmap for how to live fully into this new reality. In 1:13-14, Paul writes, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We are called to be holy people. That’s what it means to be called saints, holy ones of God. God does this for us out of his grace, and so we need his word. Beware if you think you don’t need to know God’s word, or to hear it regularly. It’s the essential bread and water of Christian life!

This week, Paul will sing about the Son who has redeemed his people, to show us his cosmic beauty and glory, and will then show us how this applies to those who are his disciples. The questions of this sermon are these: Who is the Son and what has he accomplished?

What Paul now writes is widely accepted by scholars to be a kind of hymn celebrating the preeminence of Christ above all things in the universe.

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Who is the Son? Who is Jesus? Jesus is God: Verse 15 makes plain to us that if you want to see God, you see him in the fullness of his Son, Jesus. When you encounter Jesus, you encounter God. Paul refers to him as “the firstborn of all creation,” a phrase which was used by a man named Arius to suggest that Jesus was a created being and not fully God. But the so-called Arian heresy is revealed to be false by simply looking at the next two verses. Those verses show that “firstborn” means “highest honor” or “highest rank.” Paul declares the truth that “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rules or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” This affirms the truth of John 1,

[1:1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The Son was the means by which the Father created everything in the cosmos. This is the Jesus we worship. And should this be the only God we desire to worship? Is this the way you think of Jesus when you worship? Our society demands a much tamer Jesus than this, one that endorses our sin instead of one who calls us to repentance; one who supports our political projects rather an the one who demands total allegiance and obedience. The Jesus of the Bible created everything and owns everything in all places everywhere in the universe. Christians are those who acknowledge by faith that this is fundamental reality and truth. They are those who, you will remember, have been transferred out of the kingdom:

[13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The implications are huge, because if all things were created through Jesus the Son for himself, that means that we do not belong to ourselves and we were not created for own ends or purposes. Instead, we were created for something much larger, much more cosmic in nature than the little kingdoms we would naturally prefer and imagine we control. By the way, if you think you are in control of your life you should re-read verse 17

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The very existence of the universe, which includes you and your life, is utterly dependent upon the ongoing breath of the cosmic Christ. “In him all things hold together.” Without him, all things would disintegrate and become nothing.

I recently heard an author by the name of Nate Wilson illustrate this very point. He asked the audience to think this through: What are these pews made out of? Well, you might reply, they are made out of wood. Well, then, replied Nate, what is the wood made out of? Well, it’s made from molecules. This went on and on. What are molecules made out of? Atoms. Atoms? Smaller bits? What are those smallest bits made out of? This went on and on until Wilson said, “You know that this chair is made out of. Nothing!” That is the doctrine of creation from Genesis 1. God spoke and the universe was created ex nihilo, a fancy Latin way of saying “out of nothing.” Our ongoing existence and the existence of everything in the universe, seen and unseen, is totally dependent upon the ongoing, sustaining, shout of the Lord of the Universe. The breath you just took, therefore, is a grace from God. God creates and sustains through speech. C.S. Lewis illustrated this beautifully in his story The Magician’s Nephew, the first of the Narnia books, in the chapter entitled, “The Fight at the Lamp-post.” In the pitch black of Nothing, the main characters of the story suddenly hear a voice begin to sing. Soon grey light appears over the horizon. As the light of the blazing sun breaks forth over the creation, a mighty Lion appears. “Its mouth was wide open in song.” The Lion sings the creation into existence. His voice instantly calls forth thousands of stars, planets, our sun, green grass, a light wind, water, trees, creatures, and on and on and on. It’s a literary painting of Genesis chapter 1, and a great image of the true Voice that creates and sustains the cosmos, including you right now. Isn’t this the God we ought to long to worship?

Now we move to our second point: Christ is the “firstborn of all creation” (v 15) because “he is before all things” (v 17). He is the author of creation, but he’s also the author of something else. He has accomplished something.

[18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

He is the head of this body Paul refers to as “the church.” What does the church consist of? I think we get the answer from the rest of verse 18. “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.” Jesus was the first to be resurrected from the dead, and therefore has the claim of being Lord of both the creation and the life to come, so that “in everything he might be preeminent.” The church is comprised of those individuals who were spiritually dead and under the divine wrath of God for sin, but who by the blood of Jesus have been transferred into a new kingdom and are being fashioned into new creatures who will ultimately resemble their creator, who is Jesus. This is the same thing Paul says in his letter to the Romans at 8:29

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

So Paul has announced that the Colossians have been reconciled to God through the saving blood of Christ, and that this Christ is properly owed all allegiance because He is God and the Lord of all creation.

This is the Christ we worship. And our worship should reflect this reality. We are in the middle of Lent now, and we will be speaking more extensively about worship this coming Wednesday with our Lutheran Friends. If we are going to properly worship, we need to know whom it is we are worshipping. So these words from Paul, written to a new church, are especially important to us today because they show us the God we worship, and the universal scope of his kingdom. It is the Christ here who calls you from spiritual death to eternal life. And it is the Christ who qualified you for the kingdom at the greatest cost to Himself.

Paul then shows the Colossians, and us, how what Christ’s ministry of reconciliation does in the lives of his children.

[21] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

All kinds of truth here: Anyone who is in Christ was once alienated, hostile in mind, and doing evil deeds. We are creatures who sin and whose unholiness disqualifies us eternally from God’s presence. That is why the doctrine of hell exists, because it is real. But there’s good news. Those who were alienated and enemies of God “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” In love, Christ died to preserve his children from destruction, so that they might be presented as holy and blameless, beyond any reproach by God at the Day of Judgment. That’s what it means to be reconciled to God. It means you have been saved from yourself! Have you accepted this work of Christ on your behalf and have been so saved? I have to ask the question, because as an ordained minister of word and sacrament is it my responsibility, but I’m compelled even more to ask because I love you and desire that all here know the saving power of the “blood of his cross.”

You may be saying to yourself: Yes, I think I have? But how can I be sure? One of the ways of gaining assurance of our faith is in the last few verse of this text:

[23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

A saving faith is a faith that is persistent, it is “stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard [have heard, and will hear again!], which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and which I, Paul,” and I, Chris, and I, anyone who is in this congregation who is in Christ Jesus, “became a minister.”

Jesus Christ, Lord of the universe, the firstborn of creation of the firstborn of the dead, calls you in this service to trust in Him. It is this same Jesus who said, in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Receive Christ’s word today and be sustained in faith by his grace. And if you haven’t done so already, and you are hearing him call you for the first time, don’t delay! Receive him and be saved. Christ be praised for his preeminence over all creation and over his body, the church! Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
March 27, 2011
Third Sunday in Lent
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew