Colossians 1:25-27
~18 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
đź’Â Consider this: Which of your pursuits in life are hindering you from being a faithful steward of God? When was the last time you shared the Gospel message with another person? In what ways did that strengthen or challenge your faith?
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
This morning we will consider Colossians 1:25–27. Allow me to read this portion of Scriptures for you. Colossians 1:25: "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The Lord bless the reading of his holy and sacred word.
The transformation of a man's life is truly amazing. Some years ago, I read the testimony of a man named Mel Trotter. He was a barber by profession and a drunkard. He was so deeply enslaved by his addiction that when his young daughter died, he stole the shoes she was to be buried in and pawned them for money to buy more drinks. That was just how depraved he was. But one night, he was marvellously saved through the preaching of the gospel of Christ. And he had this strong desire in his heart to share the gospel with those criminals who were in prison and sentenced to death. He went on to establish 60 missions stretching from Boston all the way to San Francisco.
The history of the church is full of such accounts of the power of the gospel to transform sins. But no transformation is as remarkable and has a greater impact in the church of Jesus Christ than the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Before his conversion, Paul was called Saul. He was born in Tarsus, an important city, a Roman province not far from Antioch. It was famous for its university, which was ranked with those of Athens and Alexandria—known to be one of the most prestigious universities in the Roman world.
Not only was Paul a Roman citizen, his Jewish credentials were equally impressive. He was a Pharisee who studied in Jerusalem under the most respected rabbi, Gamaliel. Saul made his first appearance in the Scriptures in connection with the killing of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. When Stephen was being stoned to death, Saul was the one guarding the garments of those involved in the stoning. In fact, he was the mastermind and the ringleader. He then went on to persecute the Christians who fled to Damascus. He thought he was doing God a favour by persecuting the Christians as a devout Jew. But on the road to Damascus, our Lord Jesus appeared to him, graciously saved him, and called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He then went on from a persecutor to become a preacher—and subsequently, a prisoner. Even as he wrote this letter to the Colossians, he was still in prison. That was just how remarkable his transformation was.
So as we study this passage, we want to consider how committed he was to his calling to preach the gospel to the Colossians, who were primarily Gentiles. And we want to apply these spiritual lessons into our lives.
The title of our message is a question: “How Faithful Are We?”
I. Be Faithful To Our Calling
Our first point is: “Be Faithful To Our Calling”.
Beginning with Colossians 1:25: "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God." The word “whereof” connects this verse to the preceding verse whereby Paul spoke about his willingness to suffer for the sake of Christ and the gospel—all because he was made a minister. The word “minister” in the original Greek language is from where we get the English word for deacons. Deacons were called to serve tables. So basically, they were servants. And the word “dispensation” can mean stewardship, or someone who has been assigned to take care of a household or business for the owner. He was responsible to take care of that which belonged to someone else. He supervised such things as buying, selling, planting, harvesting, and whatever needed to be done.
Paul did not choose to be a minister. It was not part of his plan. In fact, he was going the opposite direction. It was according to the dispensation of God. In other words, he was called and appointed by God himself. Now, this calling and appointment caused him to be put into prison. If Paul were to only look at the circumstances, he would have given up his ministry. He would have thought that his life was ultimately in the hands of the persecutors—the Jews or the Roman government. When a man is a prisoner, humanly speaking, he’s in a most desperate situation—most devastating.
How can he not give up? Only when he has the right perspective. It was not as if Paul knew about his future. No man would ever know what is ahead of him or her, or fully understand the divine purposes behind his afflictions. But he simply knew his future, his afflictions, and every aspect of his life were under the hands of the God who had called him. Everything was under God's control. So no authority, no imprisonment, no persecution, and no government could ever subject him had it not been God’s will. Therefore, he lived his life with this absolute trust in God’s purpose in calling him.
Dear friend, our perspective—or the way we view the situations of life—is extremely important. How we view and react to the circumstances is more important than the circumstances themselves. If all we see is only our immediate situations, then surely we will be overwhelmed. We press on when times are good. We give up when times are bad. That is our human nature.
Many people had walked away from their duties and responsibilities which they once so strongly vouched never to give up. When a man loses his perspective, he would only focus on the circumstances and be controlled by those circumstances.
If God has called you to be a deacon, can any adverse situations make you give up? If God has called you to be a fellowship leader, can any critical words or negative attitudes of the people you are ministering to cause you to give up? If you are called to be a father, a mother, a husband or a wife, can any struggles and difficulties cause you to give up your duties and responsibilities?
When you and I only consider the situation and forget our calling, that is when we will give up. What we should do is that when the trouble comes, we look to the one who has called us. Everything is in his hands. We do not claim to know all the reasons behind why certain things would happen. Neither can we give an answer to every trial of life. But one thing we do know: "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
So Paul was called to be a minister according to the dispensation—or stewardship—of God. He was charged with this calling. And notice the phrase, “which is given to me for you to fulfil the word of God.” It was God who has called me to minister the word of God to you—the Colossians. To “fulfil” is to complete or accomplish. God will not call someone to fulfil, complete or accomplish something without giving him the ability to do so.
Every believer is the steward of God's calling—whatever be that call. And the one whom God has called will also be equipped with the necessary spiritual gifts, strength, opportunities, skills, knowledge and every other blessing. Everything we have belongs to the Lord. We are entrusted as stewards to manage our lives with all the blessings he has given to us. One day, we will have to give an account of our stewardship.
In the eyes of the world, we are measured by how much we have, right? In the eyes of God, it doesn’t matter how much we have. Everything we have belongs to him anyway. It is our faithfulness to the stewardship that really matters. The psalmist said, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10). Do we really believe that everything we have belongs to the Lord, and he has a sovereign purpose in blessing us with those resources?
In theory, many people would say yes. But in application, few people would apply this truth into their lives. When we live our lives just for the purpose to accumulate the things of this temporal world, we just want to grab a little bit more. Just a little bit more. Like Rockefeller, the richest man in the world at one point—he once was asked, “How much is enough?” The richest man in the world. And he said, "$1 more dollar."
If we have such attitudes, we are not good stewards.
If we invest our time only in the things that will bring us pleasures and enjoyment, worldly activities, we are not good stewards.
If we steal from God's tithes and offerings, no one knows. But God knows. We are not good stewards. We have not fulfilled the purpose for which God has blessed us with those resources. We must never live our lives as if we will never meet our Maker.
Dear friend, one day all of us sitting in this room will meet our Creator, and we have to give an account for our stewardship when we see Him face to face. The good steward is one who is willing. The heart is willing. He's the believer who truly loves his Lord and Saviour — the One who came for him, died on the cross, and shed His precious blood to save him from eternal damnation — and he wants to serve and glorify Him in whatever he does, wherever he goes.
Whether you are a businessman, a teacher, a doctor, a student or a mother, if you believe that is God's calling for you on the face of this earth, then be true to your calling and be willing to accomplish the work that God has given to you. He has called you.
For the Apostle Paul, he was called to fulfil the Word of God. In a general sense, all believers are to do the same thing. We are called to share the gospel — whether it be to our families, relatives, colleagues, friends, the local communities or the foreign mission fields. We have to be good stewards. Be faithful to our calling.
II. Be Faithful To The Message
Our second point is: “Be Faithful To The Message.”
Look at verses 26 and 27: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:26–27)
What is a mystery in our modern day English? It is something unknown, like a novel with a twisted plot or puzzle. But that is not the meaning of the word “mystery” in the Bible. The original word for “mystery” is often used to describe something that was hidden in the past but is now revealed. That is what it means: "which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints." (Colossians 1:26) Here Paul used the word “mystery” to describe something that was not fully revealed before the coming of Christ—which means the mystery of Christ was something that was not fully understood during the Old Testament times.
What was this mystery of Christ? Well, Ephesians 3:6 gives us the answer: "That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." In other words, the Gentiles could share the same salvation as the Jews—the same great eternal heavenly blessings as the Jews—through the gospel. In Genesis 12:3, God had promised Abraham, "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." It is true that God had proclaimed His intention in saving the Gentiles as well as the Jews in the beginning. But before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, it was understood that this could only happen when the Gentile became a proselyte—which means he became a Jew.
All of us are familiar with the story of Ruth. The Book of Ruth is truly an amazing biblical book. Ruth was from Moab. She was a foreigner who had been married to the son of a Jewish woman named Naomi. She met her husband in Moab, where Naomi and her sons had gone during the period of famine in Israel. Sadly, her husband died, and Naomi decided to return to her own land. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, was determined to go with her. Apparently, Ruth had learned from Naomi through the years they spent together, and she had come to worship Naomi's God.
At first, Naomi tried to persuade Ruth to remain in Moabite. But she refused. Ruth replied: "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." (Ruth 1:16) Those were beautiful words. Naomi wanted Ruth to remain, but she did not want to. She wanted to join Naomi in the true worship of Jehovah. But notice something very interesting. The order of those words—she could not say, "Your God will be my God" until she first said, "Your people will be my people."
A Gentile in those days could approach the God of Israel, but only when he or she had become a member of the covenant people. That was why the male Gentiles would have to be subjected to the rites of circumcision and be an Israelite. But here Paul revealed that it was no longer necessary—as Jesus Christ had broken down the wall, uniting two previously divided people into one in Him. So now both the Jews and Gentiles could approach God equally on that basis.
This is the mystery of Christ, essentially, it is the gospel of Christ. And this is the richness—because the one living and true God, the second person in the triune God, came down into this world, lived as a man, kept all the laws of God perfectly on our behalf, went to the cross, died, shed His precious blood to save us from our sins. This is the blessed gospel.
To the Jews, the Gentiles were considered as dogs. And this idea of including the Gentiles into the covenant family was something they could never accept. It was just like saying the lepers no longer need to be isolated, and they were perfectly free to intermingle and associate with others as normal members of society.
In the minds of most Jews, their spiritual separation from the Gentiles was so absolute that the thought of being together and equal before God was totally unacceptable and a little short of blasphemy. The Jews hated the Gentiles, and the Gentiles also despised the Jews. That was the situation.
It is easy for us to look at this separation of the Jews and Gentiles and say how foolish they were. But dear friend, even today we do see this separation in many churches. The whites will not accept the blacks. There are racial divisions—whether it be Caucasians, Asians, Indians, Chinese. There are social divisions. The so-called elites will not accept the blue-collar workers, etc. That should never be the case.
If you are a believer, and I am a believer, we are all one in Jesus Christ. No matter who we are, we are united in Him through the gospel. And this is the hope of glory.
So Paul was committed to preach this gospel, and when the Gentiles received the gospel, the Spirit of Christ dwells in them, and that is the hope of glory. But it was not easy to preach such a gospel, and for that matter he was put into prison. Paul was by far the most prominent and dominant figure in the New Testament. He wrote at least 13 of the 27 New Testament books. Together with the other apostles, he was called to preach the mystery of Christ, the gospel which was hidden even to the most faithful believers of former times, but now made known to the church of Jesus Christ. He was specially called by God to preach this gospel to the Gentiles. And despite persecutions and imprisonments, he did just that.
Allow me to say this. Even his imprisonment for preaching the gospel to the Colossians, fulfilling the mystery of Christ in them, was a great testimony in itself. Even as a prisoner, that could not stop him from fulfilling his calling. Prison—the four walls—could not stop his mouth from preaching.
In Philippians 1:12–14, while Paul was in prison, he wrote, "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."
Take a moment and consider this. In those days Paul was imprisoned in Rome, chained to a guard. The guard was the official bodyguard of the emperor. And these guards were charged to take care of all the imperial prisoners. Ever since his arrest in Jerusalem, he had always been chained to a guard, except for those few moments when he went on board the ship which carried him to Rome. There might be times whereby he had visitors, but there always would be a guard chained to him 24 hours a day.
He could have easily murmured and complained. This is not fair. The Roman law is so slow. This soldier works for the Roman emperor and I cannot stand his sight. His negative response would have affected all the Roman guards. But that was never his attitude. He knew his calling. He was a faithful steward, and he saw the guard who was chained to him as someone for whom Jesus died. He was able to witness to him and also to the next person who replaced him for the second watch, and to the next person who replaced him for the third watch. And so, in time to come, Paul had reached out to most in the imperial palace.
We do not need a great imaginative mind to comprehend how Paul had lived his life to have such an impact on the lives of those tough Roman soldiers. Those soldiers only pledged allegiance to one person—the emperor. Perhaps the soldiers might be thinking, "Here is a man chained to me, facing potential death and execution. He should be thinking of himself and his pathetic situation. Instead he spoke only of Jesus Christ. Who is this Jesus he is speaking about? Who is this Jesus that has transformed this man so much so that he's no longer concerned about his own life, and all he wants to talk is about the gospel? I want to know this Jesus. I want to hear this gospel. What is this gospel all about?"
Even the soldiers listened. And not just that—what about those who were outside the palace, like the Philippians, Ephesians, and Colossians? Initially, they might be so afraid of the persecutions. But now, through his testimony, they had become so bold to preach the gospel. Therefore, Paul said, "Many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."
So the life of a believer who is true to his calling, even in the midst of suffering, could spread to others. Your life will affect someone else's life. Someone else's life would also affect your life. But the opposite is also true.
As a pastor, I do encounter different kinds of challenges in the ministry, and I also anticipate future problems that will come. I have to be ready. If whenever there are troubles and when I go home, I vent my frustration and say nasty words to my wife—what will happen? My wife in turn will yell at the children. The children will get angry and frustrated, and they in turn will affect their friends and classmates, and it goes on and on and on. Isn't it true? Now, when I say “isn't it true”, I do not mean it is happening in my family. You look at my wife—she's always very happy. So it is not happening.
But what I'm saying is that our response to the situations of life can affect the people around us, either for good or for bad. The Apostle Paul was victorious and a living testimony even in the midst of sufferings, persecutions, and imprisonment.
Dear friend, just as Paul was chained to a prison guard, you may also be chained to something in a descriptive sense. You may be tied to a desk at work. Or you may be tied to your housework, especially when your children are young and need your constant care. Soon, you may be tied to a sick bed, and you may never get to go out of your hospital room.
This should not be a discouragement for you. If you are in such a situation, it has been given to you by God, and it can be used by Him for a sovereign purpose. You can bear a good testimony to your colleagues who come by your table and share with them about Jesus Christ. You can share about Jesus to your little ones who come to you always when you wash your dishes in the kitchen sink. Even if you are lying on your sick bed, you can still pass a gospel tract to the nurse who comes to attend to your needs.
There is no limitation in our faithfulness, in our stewardship, in how we can serve the Lord. If we are faithful, God will bless our efforts, and we will see spiritual fruits. We will realise that there is truly no limits. Even when we cannot move at all, totally incapacitated, we can still do one thing. We can pray. We can pray for our family, for our church, for those lost souls lingering outside the kingdom of God.
When we do that, we are fulfilling the mystery of Christ, the gospel of Christ in them. You and I must be faithful to our calling, and we must be faithful to the gospel message that has saved our souls. Do not keep it to ourselves. Fulfil it. Accomplish it. Share it with the people around us, especially our unbelieving grandparents, parents and children who are dearest to us.
When we see our unbelieving loved ones receiving the gospel, that is the greatest joy we can ever have. There's no greater joy than to see a sinner believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Life is not about accumulation of things. Naked we come, naked we go. We can never bring a single cent with us when we die, and we need not bring anything with us. The streets of heaven are made of pure gold garnished with precious stone.
What else do we need to bring with us? There will not be a big house behind our hearse when we die. The only thing we leave behind is the legacy of the gospel work we have done while we are alive. And this work that we have done has ascended onto heaven awaiting for our heavenly reward.
This is the kind of life you and I should live. Be faithful to our calling. Be faithful to the very gospel that has saved our souls.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for this opportunity for us to learn from Thy dear beloved servant, the Apostle Paul, who truly knew his calling. He was made a minister, appointed by Thee, called to fulfil the word of God to the Gentiles, especially in this regard to the Colossians. There were persecutions and imprisonments and ultimately he was martyred, but nothing could stop him from fulfilling his call.
Because Thou who hast called him hast strengthened him and blessed him with all spiritual gifts and blessings, he was able to say at the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight of faith, I have kept the course, and I have finished the race.” O Lord, we want to live such a life. Thou hast called us to do different things. Some of us are called into the full-time ministry. Others are called to serve in the various fellowship groups. Yet others are called to be parents with little children. Yet others are called into different professions.
But we know that wherever Thou hast put us, it is Thy call. And we want to be faithful—to be a good testimony of Thy glory. And we want to be faithful to the gospel that has saved our souls. If we truly believe in heaven and hell, if we truly believe that Jesus is the only way and there's no other way except through Him—how can we keep quiet about the gospel?
As we look around us, souls are dying. We want to be faithful to fulfil the Word of God, to share the gospel, and peradventure through our evangelism, people may come to believe in Thee, receive the Lord Jesus into their lives—and that is truly the hope of glory. And this is what we ought and we want to do. So help each and every one of us who profess our faith in Thee to live such a life, all to the glory of Thy precious name.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 1:23a
Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Colossians 1:23b-24
How Faithful Are We?How Faithful Are We?Colossians 1:25-27
What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?Colossians 1:28-29
The Indispensable Component In Serving GodThe Indispensable Component In Serving GodColossians 2:1-2a
This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeThis Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeColossians 2:2b-5
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 2:6-7
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Human Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomHuman Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomColossians 2:8-10
