Colossians 1:24-29
Here is the Word .doc for the following lesson. Colossians Study 6
Mystery
There is something about a mystery that intrigues us. It has fueled worldwide exploration, sold millions of tickets at the box office and sadly driven many into bottomless pits of despair looking for spiritual rest. Such is the backdrop in the Colossian Church. A group of unregenerate snake-oil salesman are attempting to pawn off a system of spiritualism that is attained by mystical experiences. And as luck would have it, they were the only ones who knew the ceremonies that needed to be observed in order to reach the next level of enlightenment. A convenient system for the powerful elite that keeps its subjects continually under thumb looking for their next ecstatic experience. It is upon this stage that the Apostle Paul presents one of the great unsolved dramas “that has been kept hidden from ages and generations”, Col 1:26. Let’s read our text.
“Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. ” (Colossians 1:24–29, NIV)
Paul will continue his focus upon the Church, first spoken of in vs.18. The word Church has become synonymous with many things today. Some good, some bad. But for the purposes of this study, let’s use Paul’s metaphor of a body to derive our purpose as a church. Christ is our head and we as his body carry out His wishes.
It’s hard to diminish how important this letter would’ve been to the besieged believers at Colossae. We really have no perspective on what it meant to be a member of a church body in the first century. In a culture that thrived upon its caste system, a NT Church was literally a three ringed circus. Men and women, rich and poor, priest and prostitute all gathered together in this strange new collection of people committed to following the teachings of a dead rabbi from Galilee. As you would imagine, this group of people quickly became the social pariahs of their day. Contrast that with the relative ease in which we live as a church today. In fact I’m not entirely sure what the believers in Colossae even understood about their gathering. What I mean to say is, just how much did they understand about what a church was? We live this side of a completed canon and a multitude of books on the topic. They had to be overjoyed to learn that this crowd of people that had assembled was not merely an accidental get-together based on common interests, but a sovereignly ordained and called out people collected to manifest one of the great unrevealed mysteries of the Old Testament. There’s was not a congregation of chance. To that end, let’s look at Paul’s news to them and try to imagine what it must’ve meant to them. And in so doing, more fully grasp what it should mean to us.
- Suffering for The Church – vs.24
- Stewardship of The Church – vs.25
- Mystery of The Church –vv.26-27
- Preaching to The Church – vs.28a
- Perfecting of The Church – vv.28b
- Empowerment of The Church – vs.29
Suffering for The Church – vs.24
Before us lies what many consider to be one of the more difficult verses in our NT to properly interpret. While the language on its face may cause us to furrow our brow, when you consider its context and Paul’s other epistles, the meaning becomes plain.
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. ” (Colossians 1:24, NAS)
I’ll call this the part of the Good News that we don’t like. I initially went the direction of contrasting our distaste for suffering as opposed to the early Church’s, but then I read this verse.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; ” (1 Peter 4:12, NAS)
So these dispersed believers were apparently no more excited about the prospect than most of us are today. So what’s with being happy for getting beaten up? I’ve known people, who it seems, made it their mission to behave in such a way that conflict followed them wherever they went. And I mean conflict for conflict’s sake. Not “contending for the Gospel” as Jude said, but being contentious for the Gospel. We ought not to be known for being hard to get along with. Light will reprove darkness sure enough, without us trying to find extra ways to tick people off. This is not the kind of suffering Paul is writing about. The sufferings Paul writes about came upon him as a by-product of being God’s spokesmen to the Gentiles. Forgive me for quoting Vance Havner, but its been said that a new Christian once asked him if he ought to get rid of all his old friends now, to which Mr Havner replied, “don’t worry about that, if you live like a Christian they’ll get rid of you soon enough”. In fact, Paul wrote as much to Timothy, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ” (2 Timothy 3:12, NIV).
That being said, why does Paul seem to enjoy suffering? Suffering is not enjoyable. Paul was not a masochist. The rejoicing is all about the purpose that if fulfills. If I were to say to you that I’ve planned a weekend of fun where I have arranged for you to go to WakeMed and
- Complete a medical history form and receive a full physical
- Have a series of laboratory and X-ray tests, as well as an EKG
- A CT scan will also be completed
- You will also meet with a surgeon and complete a psychosocial evaluation with a clinical social worker
- After having completed these tests over the course of weeks you will then be wheeled into an operating room and put asleep while a surgeon slices you open and removes one of your organs.
- Three weeks later you might be ready to return to work
Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun does it? But what if that suffering gives life to your dying child? Pure joy! The pain has purpose that is indescribably more worthy than that of the suffering. So Paul says my pain has brought me great pleasure. I sit in a Roman prison because of my preaching of the Gospel of Christ. That same Gospel that was heard by Epaphras and others in Ephesus and has given birth to the Church that I now have the pleasure of writing to. Does my pain have a worthy purpose? You bet it does. And while that worth is indeed found in the individual members of that Colossian church, it is most supremely found in whom those people are a representation of, Christ’s body. “for the sake of his body, which is the church”. Paul’s secret to not only suffering well but suffering joyously is Christ. He expressed it this way in Philipians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him”. If Christ likeness is the object of our sanctification and coming glorification, which it is. Then what greater means may we be fashioned into His image than by that which so typified His earthly life.
Missionaries in training with Gospel for Asia have spoken of the “privilege” they felt in suffering for Christ after being attacked on their Bible college campus in Mumbai, India, earlier in the month. Seven students were seriously injured in the attack by suspected anti-Christian extremists on May 9. They were preparing the evening meal when attackers armed with wooden sticks, iron rods and fluorescent light tubes stormed onto the campus, beating them and vandalizing the buildings. The students tried to speak to the assailants and find out why they were attacking them but got no answer. Hemanti Kashyap was injured when the attackers hit him in the stomach with an iron rod. He said the incident had given him the chance to live out the difficult lessons he had learned in Bible college. “Through this situation I learned what the Bible means when it says, “Blessed are those who suffer for Christ,” he said. “This opposition was the test of my faith to march forward and to share the Gospel. They hit my stomach with an iron rod and I was injured, but I am grateful to the Lord Jesus who kept me safe to be a witness for Him.” Sunil Pattanayap recalls the moment the attack began: “For a moment I was shocked about why this was happening to me. Then I understood that the time had come for me to glorify His name,” he said. “It was my privilege to suffer for Christ and I am happy today because I can testify that God protected me and brought me safe from death to proclaim His Word and stand as a living testimony for Christ with a strong faith.
So as we approach the “difficult” part of this verse, I hope you’ve already begun to figure it out. “what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ” has absolutely nothing to do with His atoning work. The letter to the Hebrews makes that abundantly clear.
“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. ” (Hebrews 9:24–26, NET)
No more sacrifices are necessary or more importantly, accepted on behalf of sin. What is lacking in Christ’s sufferings is not payment but presentation. God in His great wisdom has seen fit that we as the bride of Christ serve as an ever-present reminder of the
- hideous nature of sin
- God’s impending wrath against it
- And His glorious victory over it by the death of His Son
Paul’s sufferings are designed to demonstrate the suffering saviour and the all sufficient nature of His salvation.
Stewardship of The Church – vs.25
Not only did God sovereignly ordain the Church, but He also placed the care of its creation and early growth into the hands of men of His own choosing. Thus Paul identifies himself as such a man
“I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God – given to me for you – in order to complete the word of God”
Paul calls himself a servant or diakonos of the church, which is were we derive our word for deacon from. And this service derives from the fact that God has given him a great responsibility. The English word stewardship is actually a compound word in Greek made up of oikos (“house”) and nemō (“manage”). It means to manage a household as a caretaker of someone else’s property. It should be understood that while there is an implicit function of authority in overseeing the Church, the steward’s primary purpose is to serve. And unlike many who have sought this position through Church history, Paul understood his role correctly. “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:16, NAS)
So again the Colossian church is reminded that God cares for them not only to sovereignly ordain their existence but to also place men in positions to care for and watch over them. Paul says as much, “given to me for you”. His service to Christ’s body is for their benefit. Such are all the gifts of the spirit. Our spiritual gifts are not intended for our own edification. They are given to help us minister to others in the body. Paul’s gift in this regard was that of preaching the Word of God and seeing to it that the Church was guided rightly.
Mystery of The Church –vv.26-27
So now as the lights darken and organ music begins to eerily play in the background we come to the mystery theater portion of our text. What surprises does Paul have up his sleeve for us? Are we in store for a first century Hitchcock thriller? It’s hardly that kind of mystery but the truth that will be revealed in this portion of text is more shocking than that of any Hitchcock thriller. We need to remember that one of the backdrops that this revelation appears before is the heresy being taught by some in the Colossian church that a “fullness” of knowledge was possible only through their mystical experiences.
Although I was making a little fun with the Hitchcock thing, there had been a very real unknown aspect to just how God’s redemptive act was to play out. Consider these portions of scripture for a moment.
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. ” (1 Peter 1:10–12, NIV)
After telling the parable of the soils Jesus said to His disciples,
“Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. ” (Matthew 13:11, NAS)
““But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. ” (Matthew 13:16–17, NAS)
So what we have here, according to the previous verse, is “the word of God in its fullness”. Let’s look at it.
“the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ” (Colossians 1:26–27, NIV)
If there has ever been anything written that should completely destroy my false notions of the Church and to stand in wonder of God’s wisdom, this is it. From the days of Babel, when the differing nations were born out of abject sin and rebellion, God has had in His mind to call out people from every tongue to make up a new, eternal and holy nation called the Church. All of the barriers of language and cultural animosities that we have spent so many years constructing would be destroyed by God. As it is often said, there is no better commentary on scripture than scripture, Paul explains it in Ephesians. And in fact, it is so plain that it hardly requires explanation.
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ” (Ephesians 2:11–3:12, NIV)
Preaching to The Church – vs.28a
In the light of this glorious hope Paul busts out in response.
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom” (Colossians 1:28a, NIV)
This is God’s eternally chosen Church. He would not allow them to be led astray by the Colossian charlatans. To that end, God set Paul as a steward over this body to both warn and correct error (admonish) and also give forth correctly instruct (teaching) to all His church. And this done with the totality of wisdom. This will become evident later in the epistle when Paul writes,
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. ” (Colossians 2:8–10, NIV)
Perfecting of The Church – vv.28b
The results of this work are both stunning and sure.
“so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ” (Colossians 1:28b, NIV)
I say stunning because look at where the Colossians, and us for that matter, have come from.
- “rescued from the dominion of darkness” 1:13
- “alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” 1:21
- “dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature” 2:13
How is that they and we are able to overcome our vileness and wickedness to presented as perfect and mature in Christ?
It is in its sureness that we find our answer. Paul wrote the Ephesians, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. ” (Ephesians 1:4, NIV). Our current sanctification and future glorification are assured by an eternal and sovereign decree of God. Genuine children of God will know both change in their life now and in the future. This was also the desire of, “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12, NAS) The Colossian heretics believed perfection was only for the elite, and only attainable by secret societies.
But don’t miss that the means that He chose to employ to accomplish that decree was the admonishing and teaching of the Word of God by imperfect human vessels. And it was not easy work.
Empowerment of The Church – vs.29
“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. ” (Colossians 1:29, NIV)
The work that was involved in Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel was intense. The word he chose to describe it was ἀγωνίζομαι, which you can probably hear a recognizable English word in there. Agonize. Paul has not chosen the easy life, nor has Epaphras or anyone else who has committed himself to authentic Gospel ministry. Though he feels the agony of the labor, it is borrowed ability that accomplishes the work.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. ” (1 Corinthians 15:10, NAS)
“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might ” (Ephesians 1:19, NAS)
“of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. ” (Ephesians 3:7, NAS)
I immediately thought of a race car as I was trying to place this spiritual empowering into an analogy. The driver who steps out of the race car after a 600 mile race is exhausted. Whenever I have to drive for a few hours at a time I am tired when I’m done, it’s worse the longer the distance and more congested the highway. Imagine driving from here to Orlando in the middle of July with not only no a/c, but with the heat on full blast. Add to that, cars on both bumpers and doors all the way down there. You’d be worn out when you got there. But it was really the car that was the agency that accomplished the work. I know it’s a poor analogy, as any are when we attempt to relate to the Divine. The fact of the matter is that God has seen fit in His wisdom to use unworthy men to act as his means to carry out his foreordained will of perfecting his Church body.