24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering 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. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 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.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
1 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal 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, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Colossians is a letter that was written by Paul (and Timothy) to the people of Colossae.
The main themes in this book:
Jesus is supreme and sufficient, over all things and all people. Paul reminds us to fix our eyes on Jesus and to remember who we are because of Christ.
In v15-23, Paul lists who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.
Colossians 1:24-2:5
He can rejoice because he is suffering for Christ’s body, which is the church.
The “mystery” is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” v27.
This may not be news to us because you may have heard this before? If you’ve been to a church service or youth group or camp, they may have talked about … but for Jews and Gentiles in this part of history, it was huge news! Imagine learning this for the first time or… what a new revelation this would have been!
Pauls main goal is to “present everyone fully mature in Christ”. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we will be made alive and christ-like on the last days when Christ returns or when we meet him in the air.
Paul warns the believers about others deceiving them with “fine-sounding arguments”. He is delighted to see that they are disciplined and have a firm faith in Christ.
There are a few things you can do to ensure your faith remains firm. We must remind ourselves of all that Christ has done for us. We can grow in relationship with God by praying, giving thanks to him and thanking him. We can ensure our faith is firm by reading the Bible, studying the Bible, going to church and listening to the sermon, as well as chatting to other Christians about the Bible, Jesus and all he has done for us. Why not tell someone in church what you’ve been learning in Colossians this week?
Paul doesn’t enjoy the actual suffering, but he knows why he is suffering (acts 9:15-16) and so he can rejoice because he knows he is suffering because the gospel is spreading and people are choosing whether to believe or not. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be persecuted and will suffer. Paul is experiencing this, and rejoices because more and more people are hearing about the good news of Jesus Christ.
In v25, Paul describes himself as a servant because his purpose is to teach people about Jesus Christ. He serves Christ by telling others about all that Jesus did by dying on a cross.
Verse 28 “so that we may present everyone fully mature in christ”. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we will be made alive and christ-like on the last days when Christ returns or when we meet him in the air.
Everyone’s confidence levels will vary when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. One thing we must all remember is that if you are a Christian, then you have the Holy Spirit in you who can help you when you tell others about Jesus. Verse 29 tells us that Christ works in Paul, and he works in you too! Pray to God and ask for his help.
Paul is delighted to see the believers are disciplined and that their faith is firm in Christ.
There are a few things you can do to ensure your faith remains firm. We must remind ourselves of all that Christ has done for us. We can grow in relationship with God by praying, giving thanks to him and thanking him. We can ensure our faith is firm by reading the Bible, studying the Bible, going to church and listening to the sermon, as well as chatting to other Christians about the Bible, Jesus and all he has done for us. Why not tell someone in church what you’ve been learning in Colossians this week?
