04 Riches of Assurance: Christ in You, the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:24-2:3)

Krisan Marotta: This is Krisan Marotta, welcoming you to the Wednesday in the Word podcast. What the Bible means and how we know. Our passage today is Colossians chapter 1, verse 24, through chapter 2, verse 3. And this is the fourth talk in our series on the book of Colossians. If you'd like to follow along with the lecture notes, you can find them at wednesdayintheword.com slash Colossians 4. That's wednesdayintheword.com slash Colossians 4. Thanks for joining us. When I was in high school, I was friends with a German couple named Oscar and Inge, and they had fled Nazi Germany at a time when the only way you could leave the country if you were Jewish is to be to go on your honeymoon. So there was this one window before it all closed. Hitler would allow you to leave if you were on your honeymoon. So Oscar and Inga were very young, like 15-ish in that range, and their families were friends. So to get them out of the country, the two agreed to get married, sail across to America on a boat, and then divorce after they got here. But they fell in love crossing the Atlantic. And when I knew them, they'd been married about 35 years. And they would tell their story in this bittersweet way. Inga would talk about how her mother sold her wedding ring to pay for Inga's ticket and her visa, and that that ring was their last remaining item of value. And I've often thought about that because I thought, what must her mother have felt selling her last item of value, watching her very young daughter sail away on a boat, knowing she would never see her again. And in fact, they didn't. Her all of Inga's family perished in the Nazi death camps. And I just wondered, how could she do that? Just turn, you know, watch the boat sail away and then turn around and walk back to certain death and persecution. And Inga would tell the story with this intense, deep gratitude, insisting that her mother made the sacrifice willingly and lovingly because she wanted what was best for her daughter, and knew that the sacrifice served a greater purpose. And that's the theme of our passage today: suffering for the sake of another, and knowing that you can rejoice in your sufferings because they serve a greater purpose. So let me just review. We're in Colossians, we're going to look at chapter 1, verse 24 to chapter 2, verse 3 today. We're reaching the end of the opening section. Paul has prayed that they would grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding and that they would be grateful in the midst of life circumstances that really aren't so great. And he wants them to reach this deep understanding of the hope of the gospel that produces a gratefulness such that they look past their immediate circumstances to what's ultimately true. And last week he painted an extended portrait of who Jesus is, that Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God to all of creation. So what is the most important thing that they really need to understand? Who Jesus is and what he did for them? So Jesus did what we most need to have done. He reconciled us to God so we can have hope and enter into life. And I think Paul's intent in that section was to fill out this picture. What do you need to understand? What's the most important thing? What are the essentials? So he's prayed that they would have a deep spiritual wisdom. What is that spiritual wisdom he wants them to grasp? What Jesus has done for them, that he reconciled them to God. And that then he concludes that section, that they stand to benefit from Christ's work only if they persevere in genuine faith. So this letter has a certain tension in it. Paul's grateful for what he sees God doing in the Colossian Church. He's grateful for the evidence of faith among them and that God is working among them, but he's also concerned that strange teachings have entered the group and are luring some away. So they may maybe haven't renounced the gospel and gone to a pagan prodigal lifestyle, but most likely they still claim to believe in Jesus, but they're starting to be attracted to these different ideas and different philosophies that don't fit with the gospel, with who Jesus is and what he came to do for us. So they're changing the gospel to fit their new way of looking things. And Paul is very concerned about that shift. So he's warning them, and verse 23 ended with this important if. He says, in 123, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. So he says, if you continue in the faith, that's not abstract filler. This is the theme of the letter. He's saying you are in danger. You're at this crossroads, and you need to continue choosing to follow Jesus. That this is not the choice of a moment, this is a choice of a lifetime. So it's a choice I need to make over and against other choices, forsaking other choices and other paths, leaving other philosophies, turning away from other worldviews. And it's easy to make that choice in the passion of a moment without realizing the full implications of it. And at some point you have to grapple with that. And probably many of you are familiar with that. I know I look at I know the date that I prayed to accept Jesus into my life, but there was about a year later when I actually understood the gospel. So it's like, I don't know which date is my conversion because I accepted Jesus, but it wasn't, it was almost a year later that I really figured out what that meant. And Paul's concern that some are gonna bail out when the going gets hard, some are gonna hold to a form of the gospel that will allow them to have Jesus and everything the world offers, and some are going to consider the cost and say, no, I don't want to do that. Which is, of course, part of the lesson of the parable of the sower and the seed, that a lot of people are gonna sprout, but only some will flourish. And at some point we have to face that choice of if following Jesus means I have to do that or give up this or change the way I handle whatever or my attitude toward money or time or whatever it is, do I really want to follow him if it means that? We have to grasp what and wrestle with what it means. And that's what Paul's praying for them to understand. That following Jesus, becoming a believer is a specific body of beliefs that you must fully grasp. It's a solid foundation you can stand on, but it means you're gonna live a certain way, think a certain way, act and speak a certain way, as opposed to other ways. So that's really what this letter is all about. You embrace the name of Jesus, but will you embrace what it means to follow him? You've chosen to say you follow Christ, and do you will you now conduct your life in such a way, change what you value, who you listen to, which way are you going to choose? And if you hear a teaching that reject that conflicts with the gospel, will you reject it? So the gospel presents us with many either-or choices. It says, these ideas are true, these ideas are not true. You can't embrace them both. And he's warning the Colossians, like the sower of the parable of the sower and the seeds, you're starting to encounter the weeds, the sun, the cares of the world, and you're Paul is very worried that they're making the wrong choice. And as we go through the letter, we're going to see some of the choices that they're making, but right now he's reminding them all of this we've been talking about, about who Jesus is and what he did for you. This wonderful, beautiful picture is yours if you hold fast to the gospel. So he ended 123 with the phrase of which I, Paul, became a minister, and that's what he's going to spin off of in the section we're looking at today. He's going to emphasize his own role in spreading the gospel. And I don't think this is prideful boasting. This is not, you know, hey, me and God, you know, we're like this. We're this close. You've got to listen to me because we're, you know, God and I, we're on solid footing. That's not what he's saying. I think what he's saying is this is the real gospel, the gospel that a Paphras and I explained to you. And I've been given this unique calling and authority to teach what Jesus taught. So when these other voices come in conflict with what I've taught, remember who's writing to you. This warning I just gave you to stand fast and persevere. This warning is coming from one who has been chosen by Christ to speak for him. So being a Christian means you can't just believe any old philosophy you like or any idea that strikes your fancy. God spoke in specific ways. He revealed himself through Christ, as we talked about last week. He authorized specific people to speak for him. He taught specific things to us through Christ, and Jesus gave the authority to speak for him to the apostles. And Paul is one of those folks. He says in, I think it's 1 Corinthians, he basically says, look, I'm nobody from nowhere. I didn't ask for this. I didn't get elected. I didn't earn a PhD. I didn't make it up. There's a sense in which I am no one, but God equipped me and chose me. So he he basically makes this point. You should listen to me even though I am nothing, because my message is everything. Because I am getting this message right because God called me and equipped me. He called me out of nowhere and made me his apostle. And that's what he's going to go on to talk about. Let's look at chapter 1, 20, starting in 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, 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. The mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. To them 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. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. So remember, he's in chains at he as he writes this. He's in Rome, he's under house arrest, and he's waiting for Caesar to declare his fate. And he is in chains because he's been preaching the gospel, specifically the message that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the gospel. And you can read about how he ended up in prison in Acts 22. He ended up in this situation because the Jews hated the fact that he said the Gentiles had a share in the gospel. They were listening to him as he was preaching, and then as soon as he mentioned, and the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the of the gospel, this riot ensued. They trumped up charges against him and sought to kill him, which led to his arrest. So Paul was literally arrested because he was preaching that the Gentiles have a share in the gospel, and now he's writing to a predominantly Gentile church saying, Look, I'm in I am suffering because of you. The work I'm doing, I'm doing for your sake, not my not my own. His job is to take this message to people, and he's in chains, he can't leave to visit them. But he says, I'm bringing you this message that is life and death. It will either save you or condemn you. Remember what at stake, and he's hoping that all his suffering is not in vain. And let's look at some of his sufferings. This is, uh he tells us about them in 2 Corinthians. This is 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verses 24 through 28. And just think about actually experiencing this as I read it. So this is Paul talking about his life. Five times I have received at the hands of Jews the forty lashes less one. So five times he got thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys and dangers from rivers, danger from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, and danger from false brothers, in toil and in hardship through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure, and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. So this is Paul's life. He's not flying around on his private jet from one air conditioned speaking engagement to another. He's not staying in the VIP suite collecting a healthy honorarium while he signs his books. He's in danger. He's being stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, in danger from the crowds, the people hearing his message. And he feels this burden. In the midst of this, he says there's the daily pressure on me of all my anxiety for all the churches. So he feels this burden of the battle that he's in physical danger and intense persecution. And then he hears the Corinthians are strained, the Colossians are wandering, the Galatians are turning to the Judaizers. I think that's what he means by this, my anxiety for all the churches. He says, I'm working on your behalf, but these hardships aren't meaningless. He rejoices in them because they have a purpose. He sees himself as a steward, entrusted with the mysteries of God, so that other people might choose life and hold fast to it. And his sufferings bear fruit. His sufferings gave us these letters that we study today. They had a purpose, and God gave him this gift of great understanding. So it's not that the suffering was fun or comfortable. It was a trauma, it was a trial and tribulation for him. But he knew God's at work in the midst of it. He finds joy in the meaning because he knows the hardship he's gone through are worth it. So, like a farmer who's working to produce a crop, the work is back breaking, the work is toil, it's physically demanding, but the harvest is fulfilling. He knows he's going to reap in the end. So that's what he's saying. Back in Colossians 1 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. So he rejoices in his sufferings, what all he goes through because he knows they have this purpose. And then he has this strange phrase, filling up what is lacking in Christ's affliction. And that's troublesome because, you know, you read that and you think, well, what could possibly be lacking in the sufferings of Christ? Scripture makes it clear that Jesus is suffering on the cross, paid the price for our sins, and no other suffering, no other sacrifice is necessary. So his death, his resurrection paid the full price. No one else needs to pay the price, nothing needs to be added to it. So, okay, so what's Paul talking about? So that's that's one sense to the sufferings of Christ, but there's another sense which I think Paul is alluding to, and that is Jesus suffered throughout his life because he was a messenger of the truth. So most of the people that heard him did not like what he said, did not like what he preached, and they persecuted him, and in the end they rejected him and hung him on the cross. And he has, in a sense, passed on that job of speaking and proclaiming the truth to his apostles and his disciples. So he's created a situation in which they will suffer in the same way he did, and that's a very common theme in the New Testament, that as followers of Jesus we not only share in his glory, we share in his sufferings. And in this world we will face the same kind of sufferings, rejection, and persecution he faced, and in the end we share in the same glory and honor he received. So, for example, Matthew 5, 11 and 12, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who are before you. And then Matthew 10, this is twenty-two through twenty-five, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly I say to you, I will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant to be like his master. If they have called the master of the house be Azelb, how much more will they align those of his household? So this theme of if you follow me, you're gonna suffer for it, just as I suffered, is pretty common in the New Testament, and I think that's what Paul's alluding to here about filling up what is lacking in Christ's affliction. Jesus alone died for the sins of the world, but he began this process of proclaiming the gospel to this world. His followers continue that proclamation, and they're gonna suffer as Jesus suffered. So in that sense, he's fulfilling the plan, he's continuing the work that Jesus began. So his work is not to make disciples for himself. We aren't disciples of Paul, though we study his letters, we're disciples of Jesus, he is continuing that message of proclaiming the truth. And every one of us, in one way or another, represents Jesus to the world. Now, the apostles had a unique way to represent Jesus and to speak with the authority of Jesus, but all of us represents the name of Jesus in one way or another. We're swimming upstream against the wor the current of the world, and we each contribute our own portion to the sufferings of Christ in that sense. Now, my portion is probably very small and puny, but it's the one I've been given. So we stand for the truths he taught, everything in our lives changes, we've been redeemed, and we reflect, as we reflect Christ to the world, we will face suffering and persecution for it. And I think that's what Paul's talking about when he says he's filling up the sufferings of what's lacking in the sufferings of Christ. His min ministry is a continuation of the work Christ began in that sense, and therefore the benefit of the Colossians. So he's filling up what's lacking in the sense of carrying on the work, fulfilling the path that Christ set for him. Now he's going to go on to talk about the message itself, the message for which he is suffering. This is 25 through 27, 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. The mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. To them 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. So he uses this stewardship language. He's a steward entrusted with his master's wealth. Only the wealth in this case is not money, it is the mystery of the gospel, specifically that the Gentiles have a stake in it. They are fellow heirs in Christ. So that's what God has revealed. He's made his purpose more fully known with the coming of Christ so that all nations could hear and believe. And God's opening communication letting us know it wasn't as clear before up to this point, but now it has been made more clear. So this the glory of this mystery, he uses the same uh phrase and talks about it in more detail in Ephesians. Remember, Ephesians was a companion letter to Colossians. It was written about the same time. It's probably being carried by the same man as Colossians. But so he explains it a little more detail in Ephesians. This is Ephesians 3, 4 through 6. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. The mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. So in Ephesians, he's very clear. The mystery is this that the Gentiles can have a share in the gospel. Now, yes, the Old Testament talks about that, the message going to the Gentiles. The Abrahamic covenant's probably the most clear example, but it was not as clear as it has been made clear now. And now we have a prophet specifically sent to the Gentiles, which is Paul. He's the first one who is actually given the task of going to the Gentiles. And that's a new thing, that message that you don't have to become Jewish to be a believer, that we as Gentiles can have a share in all those promises and the gospels for both Jew and Gentile, that's pretty radical. So to 27 to them, 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. That idea that you Gentiles have a share in this, you will enter into glory as with Christ, that's a big deal. For us, we take it for granted because in our experience the church has been predominantly Gentile basically for a thousand, a couple thousand years. But the fact that the Gentiles could share in the promises of Abraham and David, that was really radical stuff. That um was what got Paul thrown in prison, that's what tended to spark the riots, that created a lot of problems in the early church. This was just a radical new idea. What do you mean you don't have to be a Jew to share in the promises of Abraham? What do you mean you don't have to convert to Judeum? Do you see him? That was a strange idea, and that's what Paul's suffering for. So when he says, Christ in you, the hope of glory, glory is one of those words that's hard to grasp. The Greek word literally means a bright shining light. So it's the idea that it literally is just this bright shining light. That which is glorious is bright, honorable, magnificent, worthy of praise, as opposed to what's dark, dirty, shameful, all the stuff you don't even want to mention. So there's this dull, uninspiring, and then there's that which is glorious. And one day Christ will be revealed in glory. It will be clear to all that He is King of kings and worthy of all praise. kind of the idea they're playing off of that this bright shining light that is clean, perfect, pure, undefiled, completely worthy, it contains nothing dirty, nothing dark, nothing shameful, nothing broken, nothing defiled. It's the it's that exact opposite. And the amazing promise of the gospel is because you have accepted Christ, you have a hope of that kind of glory. One day you will stand before him clean, pure, worthy, undefiled. That's amazing. So honor's going to come to Jesus as King and Lord and Messiah and we're going to share in a piece of that honor as his people. So it's not hope of going to heaven per se, but hope of being awesome in the purest sense of that world, being worthy, being clean, worthy like Christ is worthy. I mean just try to get your mind around what it would mean to be the kind of person that could stand there and have no reason to feel shame. I just like can't even imagine. All sins gone, all forgiven, all wrongs put right, everything about us that brings shame and guilt gone and done away with and standing there worthy, sharing in the glory of Christ. That's the promise of the gospel. And he's saying that's the mystery which has been made clear that now as Gentiles that promise is yours if you follow Jesus. So 28 Him we proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. And then 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. So Paul pictures his job as not reach, preach and leave. He sees his job as presenting everyone mature in Christ, every person complete, teaching in such a way that all his hearers embrace and understand the gospel such that they persevere to the end. So remember what's happening in the Colossian church. They are listening to alternatives to the gospel. They're in danger of walking away from the source of life and he's saying I'm working so that you don't do that. I'm I'm laboring I'm struggling I'm in praying I'm agonizing you over you in my prayers because I want to present everyone mature in in Christ. So he's got to be concerned he's got to be thinking I can't believe you're listening to this nonsense you know and his job is to remind them admonish them here's what's true here's what's not you have this hope of glory and you're walking away from it. You have this promise that for thousands of years people didn't even know you could have and now it's been made clear to you and why are you turning to these other things so he's working hard for these churches to make the truth clear to all of course he's not working on his own he's working through and by the power of God at work in him. He's not doing this for his sake he's been given a calling and a mission and he's effective because God's working in him but it's still hard work. And what's he working for? He tells us the purpose in 2-2 and 2-3 that their hearts may be encouraged be knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery which is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So his purpose is that they be encouraged through knowledge and wisdom. Encouragement think about that it's not the idea oh everything's going to be okay you're special you're unique God loves you you're wonderful it's not your fault. He's not offering those kinds of platitudes. The encouragement he's offering is the hope of the gospel that faith gives you a share in the promises of Christ which gives you hope and the courage to persevere so the strength to endure to the end and understand that even though you're suffering there's a purpose to that suffering and there's a measure of joy in it. So he's laboring for a strong mature faith that you understand the riches of Christ the full what he calls the riches of full assurance and of understanding the knowledge of God's mystery which is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You want to know what makes life meaningful you want wisdom you want knowledge it's all in Christ there's nowhere else to turn so this is what he prayed for earlier this is what he prayed for in Ephesians. He says you're seeking the meaning of life but you're looking in the wrong places. The only place to look is in Christ. That's where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are. So you go seeking wisdom and law and knowledge what will unlock the keys to life where is that to be found it's not going to be in yoga it's not in Eastern thought it's not in a monastery it's not in you know higher education it's to be found in Christ. That's where you find it and you don't need a PhD to understand it. So that's Paul's job to further the message of Christ to communicate the message to the Gentiles it's why we study this letter because we believe if we can understand what Paul understands we will find that hope together to stand firm in the faith. So he suffers for that his sufferings are not in vain. They're taking him somewhere they're taking us somewhere they're taking us to a place we desperately want to go and that is to stand in glory with Jesus one day. And Paul's concerned they're walking away from it and he's warning them this is a valuable message. This is where you're going to find the meaning of life. This is where you will find true fulfillment this message is what I'm enduring all these hardships for and this is where you will find hope where you will find answers where you will find glory and worth it is worth everything. Stand firm and be strong in it. And there's nothing more important than that. So this is the theme up to this point we're going to end this section of the letter and he's going to turn to some specifics of the kinds of things that they're walking away from and the kinds of mis uh wrong ideas they're embracing but up to this point he's been saying I pray that God will strengthen your faith I pray that he will give you understanding that you learn what's truly important so that you persevere to the end. Now it's tempting just to wrap this up it's tempting to read this passage and think, okay, how have I suffered for Christ? And maybe I need to go out there and put myself on the line be more bold so that I too can be persecuted and maybe you know I should take a mission trip or go someplace where they'll hate me. And that's not what he's saying. Go toil and be persecuted is not the message of this passage. Ultimately the message the challenge of this is have you understood? Just look back for a minute at the repeated ideas we've seen. So going back to Colossians 1 9 and so from the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Paul says here's what I want for you I want you to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. I want you to know what's true. 123 if indeed you continue in the faith stable and steadfast not shifting from the hope of the gospel you have heard what's he concerned about? That you're walking away from the truth that you've heard. Don't shift from that 125 he says of which I became minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to make the word of God fully known. That's what he's after to make the word of God fully known. What does he mean? Mature in faith mature in understanding 2 2 that your hearts may be encouraged knit together in love to reach the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery which is Christ and then 2 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge notice how many times through chapter one and up to this point we've had knowledge, wisdom and understanding knowledge, wisdom and understanding the word of God fully known the riches of assurance that's the challenge of this passage. It's not have you suffered enough for Christ it's do you really understand the gospel? And the parts that we've looked at so far, that's his chief concern do you know and understand? Have you embraced the life-changing hope of the gospel? Is your faith something that's confined to Sunday mornings and then you walk you leave it at the door when you walk out of church? Or is this a real life-changing faith that you live day in and day out? And ultimately I think that's the challenge of this passage. Have you believed and understood? And if so remain steadfast remain faithful cling to that truth that you've been taught sufferings will take care of themselves they'll come. Don't go out you don't need to go out and seek them. What you need to worry about is standing firm and being strong in the grace of God and let God worry about the rest. So I was thinking about this phrase the riches of full assurance and how that the more it's hard to explain how you understand. Once you understand you have it that's the anchor in the storms. When you fully understand the gospel you have that incredible piece of Christ the riches of understanding I was trying to think of a way to summarize this so I found this peanuts cartoon which kind of sums it up for you. So I'm going to end with that. Linus and Lucy are looking out a window at a very heavy rain. And Lucy says boy look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world Linus says it'll never do that. In the ninth chapter of Genesis God promised Noah that would never happen again and the sign of the promise is the rainbow. And Lucy looks at him and says you've taken a great load off my mind and Linus says sound theology has a way of doing that. That's what we're talking about sound theology knowing and understanding. Let me pray for us. Father we just thank you for the sufferings of Christ and the sufferings of Paul on our behalf. And we just pray as Paul did that we would fully understand the word of God that we would reach that maturity of riches of wisdom and understanding through the work of your spirit in us as Paul has prayed for and that we too as Paul would turn around to make the word of God fully known to our friends to our neighbors to our family that we would be chained so that our life reflects you and that we would stand firm to the day where we see you come back in glory in Jesus' name. Amen