At the end of Colossians Chapter 1, Paul spoke of rejoicing in the suffering of others. This chapter opens on a similar note. Now he wants the Colossians to know how much he is suffering for them. Why? What advantage or benefit comes from others suffering for us? Does the idea repulse us because we know that so often other people use their suffering for us to manipulate us? Is that what Paul has in mind here? Should we refuse to allow others to suffer for us? Let’s see what God intends here.
Notes
Scripture quotations from the New International Version (NIV) (1984)
I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. (Col 2:1, NIV)
- Paul doesn't mention what sufferings, beyond being in prison
- He’s leaving the details to Tychicus, who will deliver this letter (Col 4:7)
- You and I don’t need to know exactly what he’s suffering at this time
- We saw him mention “fill[ing] up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions” (Col 1:24, NIV) which implies physical harm, beatings, stoning, whipping, and all kinds of other violence
- He mentions Epaphras wrestling in prayer for them later in this letter (Col 4:12), and surely Paul does the same
- He gives a lot of detail about the kinds of things he suffers throughout 2 Corinthians
- There's another kind of suffering Paul endures, the kind that motivated his letter to the Galatians: fighting false teachings for the security of the church (Gal 4:19-20)
- Contending for the Gospel as given by God in the face of impostors
- No specific attack mentioned in Colossians, rather he seems to argue against a general kind of false teaching later in this chapter
- Why want the Colossians to know how much he is struggling for them?
- Isn't that manipulative?
- What kind of people brag about their sufferings?
- Those who want you to feel bad for them, so they can make you do things they want, right?
- Is that Paul?
- How do you feel knowing that some of your teachers suffer pain but gladly serve you?
- They don't talk about it, but we can see when they struggle
- What does it tell you that someone is willing to endure real pain in order to help you?
- Does that increase your respect for them?
- Or does that lower your respect for this school?
- Do you feel more valued or less?
- Do you put up your guard, afraid we'll use these things to guilt you into doing or giving things you don't want to?
- Are you afraid it might mean you also might have to give up comfort or to endure hard things to follow Jesus?
- So why does Paul want them to know about his struggle for them?
- As we mentioned last week:
- To prove he's genuine
- World hates Christ and His servants (Jn 15:20-21)
- Suffering inevitable for genuine believer/servant (2 Tim 3:12)
- The World thinks real Christians are stupid!
- “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:18, NIV)
- False teachers generally do everything they can to avoid suffering (Gal 6:12):
- They’ll take advantage of you
- They don’t care about you, only themselves and what they can get from you
- Micah 3:5 (NIV):
- This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim 'peace'; if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him.”
- World hates Christ and His servants (Jn 15:20-21)
- To prove the genuineness of his message
- Who would suffer these things for a fake or foolish message?
- It's easy to promote a lie when no one hates or attacks you for it
- People love messages and philosophies that say we're all OK
- But not one that says we’re wrong and have to change
- John the baptizer preached repent, he prepared a people to believe in Jesus, but was killed
- Jesus preached repent, and He gained followers, but was killed (of course He also rose again from the dead!)
- Paul was preaching repent, and in every city he went to, people believed, but also someone eventually attacked him, even leaving him for dead once
- Many false teachers die in their false beliefs
- Some are persecuted for their false ideas
- But few false teachers teach a message that rebukes the individual
- Most put blame on the authorities, whether parents, government, economic or religious—anyone but you!
- If they say you have a problem, it's almost always because of someone else—not you
- They'll be glad to help you recognize who's at fault
- They'll be glad to help you cope with the problems you suffer because of others,
- They be glad to receive regular payment for their services
- But they'll rarely tell you that you're the problem, you're the sinner and you need to repent
- You can’t gain followers by insulting them, right?
- To prove he's genuine
- Paul preached the Gospel free of charge
- He told people they were in sin
- They needed to repent of going their own way
- They needed to turn and submit to Christ, His ways and His rule
- He won friends among those whom God was calling
- He made enemies of those who refused to believe
- that Jesus had the right to teach what was absolutely true and right,
- that Jesus had the right and intention to judge all men for all their secrets
- Jews hated him; Gentiles hated him
- He told people they were in sin
- There is no lack of creativity among false teachers
- It's easy to come up with new, false ideas and philosophies
- Paul has run into many of them
- from the Jewish legalists: “Unless you are circumcised...you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1, NIV)
- to the preachers of free love and immorality: “Let us do evil so that good may result” (Rom 3:8, NIV)
- and all kinds of things in between
- We have things today he didn't have back then but it's all false
- There is only one Truth, and that is the biblical Jesus, whom Paul preaches
- As we mentioned last week:
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, (Col 2:2, NIV)
- Paul explains his own goal in wanting them to know how much he struggles for them
- It’s not to discourage them, fill them with guilt or enslave them
- His goal is to encourage them to the very core of their being!
- Mentioned last week:
- He wants them to see how valuable they are
- He wants them to know how loved they are by Jesus Christ
- Isa 43:4 (NIV):
- Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.
- It’s not just unbelievers given to bring us back to God
- It is faithful, God-fearing, God-devoted believers who have been given in exchange for you
- It is first Jesus, then the Apostles (including Paul), then countless faithful believers down through the ages, who kept the true Gospel safe, protected, defended and confirmed
- There is a great cloud of martyrs that willingly, even joyfully,
- suffered all kinds of hardship to bring us the Gospel,
- who submitted to death so that you and I would have the True Gospel, all God’s Word, in our hands today
- Martyrs in the West, martyrs in the East
- European, American, African, Asian, everywhere
- And God is still not done
- They were given in exchange for us, and He will give us in exchange for still others
- Paul isn't bitter about what he's suffered to bring the Gospel to them and others like them
- Paul isn't bitter about what he's given up to follow and serve Jesus and His Church and His Gospel
- There is nothing greater to Paul than to know Christ and share in His sufferings! (Php 3:1-11)
- He's not the stereotypical long-suffering mother
- who's always reminding you of what she suffered in childbirth and all your growing up years
- so that she can get you to give her some kind of return, some benefit,
- so that she can make you do what she wants you to do!
- He's never complaining about what he suffers when he talks about it
- If he’s complaining, it’s that those who have benefited from his sacrifices disregard or belittle him—to their own harm
- They’re being led astray by so-called “super apostles,” who are false apostles (2 Cor 11)
- And he doesn't do that to gain something for himself but to protect them and preserve their genuine faith and salvation!
- He does it for Christ and for the Corinthians, for their benefit and security!
- Everything Paul did is for Christ and for the faith and salvation of those whom Christ has called.
- He even takes pains to be no burden to anyone he's serving, so that no one can accuse him of any wrongdoing! (2Cor 11; 2Thes 3:7-10)
- He gladly spends himself for all he serves, expecting nothing in return for himself (2Cor 12:15),
- Rather he is determined to offering everyone up to Christ as a fragrant offering, as a pure bride, all for Jesus (2Cor 11:2)
- His reward is from God, not the people he serves (1Cor 9:16-17)
- His reward is because of the people he serves, if he teaches them well, protects them well, so that they make it into God’s eternal home.
- Don't get me or Paul wrong: The worker is worthy of his wages. Paul affirms that even the Gospel preacher is allowed to make his living from preaching the Gospel! (1Cor 9:7-14)
- Are you encouraged that there are people here who have given up things of the world so that they could be here with you, helping you learn and grow and know Christ better?
- Do you feel undeservedly blessed? More than all those students who applied and weren't accepted?
- More than all those students who have no chance at all to apply?
- All your former classmates still grinding through high school back home?
- If you’re waiting for the catch, for the other shoe to drop, surely this is “too good to be true,” here it is: “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Lk 12:48)
- You aren't obligated more to us, but to Christ, whom we serve.
- We're just servants, slaves.
- Jesus is Lord.
- He's the one providing this opportunity, your parents are just tools, means by which He brought you here:
- If you owe anyone anything, you owe everything to Jesus Christ.
- It would be better to obtain your goals without coming here
- if you don't want to increase the debt you already owe Jesus,
- if you're not willing to give up even more of yourself and your life to serve Jesus Christ.
- But understand, this isn't a curse, but an incredible blessing,
- Because whoever proves faithful with what he's been given will receive an even greater reward than those who haven’t been given what you have.
- The servant put in charge of things here, if he does what is required, we'll be put in charge of everything when Jesus returns! (Lk 12:42-44)
- You've been chosen for greatness in God's Kingdom. Not everyone receives that invitation or opportunity
- You’re being offered a level of discipleship and training that many others are not given
- Will you learn from us and open up greater opportunities for yourself in Christ’s kingdom,
- Or waste this opportunity in front of you?
- You are special and you should be encouraged to have people suffer
- to bring you the Gospel, for your salvation,
- and to bring you greater examples and vision and training in Christ,
- for a greater reward held out to you, if you will learn and follow and serve.
- People suffering for you, for your salvation and growth in Christ, is to your glory,
- We are your glory, even as you are ours (Eph 3:13; 1Th 2:20; 2Cor 5:12)
- Mentioned last week:
- Paul’s second goal in telling them what he suffers for them is so that they would be united in love
- How do Paul’s sufferings promote not only our love for him, but also our love for one another?
- For one thing, we understand the preciousness of one another as equal to our own preciousness
- Jesus Christ died for you and for me; He didn’t die more for me and less for you
- But He does give different ones among us more or less opportunities to know and serve Him
- Really, every one of us can give up everything to follow Jesus!
- The invitation is to every and any believer
- But not everyone gets access to the same teachers and opportunities for learning and training, as we just talked about
- That doesn’t mean some are worthy of less concern, care, instruction and encouragement
- We don’t get to pick favorite brothers and sisters
- We don’t get to pick and choose who believes and who doesn’t
- Every command and instruction we’re given (like those that are coming in chapter 3) apply equally to every brother and sister in the body of Christ
- Jesus died for the one you don’t like so much, just as surely as He died for you
- Paul suffered to bring the Gospel to you, as much as he did to those you and I would never have picked to believe in Jesus
- What makes us uncomfortable is that Paul is setting a pattern and example by suffering for you and me and for every other believer, and it’s a pattern we too should follow
- It’s the pattern he received from Jesus Himself (1Pe 2:21)
- We should prefer one another above ourselves (Rom 12:10)
- We should outdo one another in showing love for each other (Rom 12:10)
- We should have a friendly competition to be the most loving, forgiving, forbearing, humble, giving, blessing, teaching, encouraging Christian
- To be the greatest in the kingdom of God, we must be the lowest servant (Mt 23:11)
- To be the greatest Christian, by definition, you must be just like Jesus;
- it’s not a bad thing,
- but the best thing we could ever strive to be
- Like Paul, we should be giving up our rights, our preferences, our lives, our wants, our wishes, in order to give ourselves fully to serve Jesus Christ and His people
- The more we do that, the more amazing, loving, holy, righteous, godly fellowship of believers we’ll have right here
- Paul’s desire in encouraging the Colossians in heart and seeing them united in love is that they would know Christ as fully and richly and completely as possible
- Again, that’s Paul’s own desire, as recorded in Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)
- I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
- He wants that same thing for the Colossians, and for you and me
- Can you see how being encouraged in heart and united in love can result in the full riches of complete understanding, which is the path to knowing Christ?
- The encouragement and confidence in knowing that you are loved by God as demonstrated by real flesh-and-blood believers, regular people like you and me who gave themselves to the mission of God, the pursuit of you and me
- Frees you and me to love each other to a depth and degree and in ways we could never do as unbelievers
- Others love us even unto death; we learn to love others even unto death; we have come to know Christ, who gave His life for us in full assurance of eternity with His Father
- In living out the likeness of Jesus Christ, doing what He does, loving like He loves, teaching and speaking like He does, we come to know Jesus Christ as fully as possible without actually seeing Him face to face!
- It is just what Jesus said in John 14:21 (NIV):
- Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
- Again, that’s Paul’s own desire, as recorded in Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)
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