Title Colossians 01:24-27 Change the question
Content Text Colossians 1:24-2:7
Change the title question!
24 Now I rejoice in suffering for you, and I am filling the rest of the sufferings of Christ with my body for the sake of his body, the church. 25I became a minister of the church according to the mission that God has entrusted to you to preach the word of God thoroughly for you. 26 This secret has been hidden from all generations from eternity and is now revealed to his saints. 27God wanted the saints to know how rich the glory of this mystery revealed among the Gentiles was. This mystery is Christ in your midst, the hope of glory. 28 We preach this Christ. We exhort everyone and teach everyone with all our wisdom, so that everyone may be made perfect in Christ. 29 I am also toiling and toiling because of him, who works with power within me for this work.
1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those who are in Laodicea and others who have not seen my face. 2I am doing this, so that they may have a rich and perfect understanding, that they may be united in love and encouraged in their hearts, and that they may come to know Christ, the mystery of God. 3In Christ are hidden the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with clever words. 5 Though I am absent in the flesh, I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see that you are living in order and that your faith in Christ is strong.
6 Therefore, since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in him. 7 Be rooted and built up in him, so that you may be strengthened in the faith according to what you have been taught, so that your hearts overflow with thanksgiving.
I. 1:24-29
We often find that people rarely change. As Richard Niebuhr pointed out, human behavior changes very slowly. Some mistakes are repeated over and over again. That is why we are called the animals of history. Is true change possible in human life?
Last week I said that the best expression of gratitude we can give to God is to become servants of the gospel and work for the kingdom of God. But Paul reminds us that it involves a lot of pain and sacrifice. “24 Now I rejoice in suffering for you, and I am filling the remainder of the sufferings of Christ with my body for the sake of his body, the church.” What does he mean here? Does this mean that there is still something lacking in the sufferings of Christ? What is clear is that he is not saying that Christ lacks the power of atonement. Because in the Bible the word "suffering" never means "the death of Jesus." Suffering refers to the things that Jesus had to endure while suffering for evil. That is why the Bible describes him as enduring all suffering.
But there is nothing lacking in what he did on the cross. 1 John 2:2 testifies: “He became a sin offering for our sins, and not only for our sins, but for the whole world.” Therefore, there is no lack of suffering that He suffered.
But when we fight evil, when we wrestle with our own sins, we always have to pay a price. But someone paid the price for it. Christ sacrificed until we came before God, and there was a price for the blood of countless martyrs. So when we read the Bible, we must never forget that someone shed blood before I came before you.
Humans are creatures of sacrifice. When I was a fetus, I grew up eating the flesh and blood of my mother, who was lacking in nutrition. We don't have anyone living in the world we created. The clothes I wear, the words I wear, the road I walk, the house I live in...everything someone made for me. Therefore, in order for me to live, someone must work hard and make sacrifices.
Paul was suffering for the sake of the Colossians. But in fact, it is not only for the Colossians, but also for Paul himself. Because it becomes a useful being for Christ. To be able to work for the Colossians, a prisoner who is imprisoned in a Roman prison and is being restrained even to his liberty, adds to his joy and gratitude. When we can pray for someone, we can hope for someone, we can cry for someone, we can grieve for someone, we become useful for Christ. will be This is how we draw near to Christ.
But to get to this point, you must understand a very important mystery.
"26This mystery has been hidden from all generations from eternity, and is now revealed to his saints. 27God wanted to make known to the saints how rich is the glory of this mystery revealed among the Gentiles. This mystery is among you. Christ, the hope of glory 28 We preach this Christ, and we exhort all men, and teach all men with all wisdom, that we may build all men perfect in Christ 29 I myself for this work I have been working hard because I got strength from him who works with power within me.”
This is a great mystery. This is the greatest mystery of the Bible, but it seems that many churches today are unaware of it. Most Christians believe that Christ died to forgive our sins. But they don't seem to understand that he died so that he might live in us. Because He lives in me, there is power in my life, there is change, there is salvation, and I have the power to resist sin. Therefore, when you are lonely, when you fail, when you suffer injustice, when you fall into unknown pain, the reason why you should not be discouraged is because Christ lives in you. This is also the evidence that we can experience the truth of the resurrection on this earth.
In verse 28, Paul declares, “We exhort everyone, teaching everyone with all our wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” God does not want small changes in us, but amazing and drastic changes in us. That's why Jesus said that he could not express anything other than "be born again" and "be born again." Why does God want us to be transformed and mature? This is because, as shown in the text we read last week, 1:22, He wants to present us "to present himself before himself holy, blameless and blameless."
The world does not know this wonderful mystery. The world doesn't even know that there are sources of amazing change in human life. Even Christians don't know. Many zealous Christians say: "I work for the church members. I work for the church. I work for Christ...I work hard for this and that." This implies the conclusion, "Therefore, I am a good Christian." However, doing good does not automatically make you a mature human being. Living as a Christian means not only doing good work, but also becoming a mature person. No person can ever be a good Christian unless he constantly reflects and reflects on his life with the warnings and teachings of the Bible. Therefore, you must not only be a good worker, but also a good thinker. This is the way to become a mature Christian.
II. 2:1-7
Boredom, boredom--this is one of life's major concerns. So you're looking for something new. They want a new car, they want to live in a new house, they want to wear new clothes, they want to find a new restaurant, they want to hear new messages. We feel bored because we seek gratification outside of ourselves. In 1:27 Paul testifies: "27 God wanted the saints to know how rich the glory of this mystery revealed among the Gentiles is. This mystery is Christ among you, the hope of glory." The one who discovers that Christ is in me can't feel boredom. Because he will find everything interesting, he will see hardships and trials as adventures, and crises and dangers as challenges. This is what the Bible calls “abundance” and “treasure.”
Paul uses the expression “abundance” in verse 2, and refers to “hidden treasures” in verse 3. Jesus said, "Treasures are laid up in heaven." And to the woman who asked for water, He said, "Believe in me, and living water will overflow within you."
In verses 6-7, Paul testifies: "6Therefore, since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in him. 7 Be rooted and built up in him, so that you may be strengthened in the faith as you have been taught, so that your hearts overflow with thanksgiving." Here Paul uses three past participles. First, "rooted". This means "you are planted in Christ." Those who are planted in Christ are destined to reveal Christ. Second, "by being established". This means to grow. Those who are planted in Christ are destined to grow. Those who say, “I am not growing in faith,” know that they have not yet been planted in Christ. Those who are planted in Christ are destined to grow. Third, “consolidate the faith”. This means to be strengthened. The faith that grows well is to become strong and strong enough to endure any hardship or adversity that may come.
Finally, Paul exhorts us to “abound in thanksgiving.” Do you have any experiences to be grateful for? What were you grateful for? True gratitude occurs when we realize God's grace in a situation where we cannot find the conditions for which we are truly grateful.
When we face difficulties, we ask ourselves. "Why the hell is this absurd thing happening?" But we need to change the question. "Why didn't something worse happen?" As we change the question, you will discover the grace that is already there and overflowing with me. Change your question when you encounter difficulties! Then your life will overflow with gratitude.