Colossians 2:1-2a
~17 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
💭 Consider this: The apostle Paul was deeply invested in the spiritual growth of people he had not met. How does this challenge you to pray for, or give to, missions, persecuted believers, or struggling churches?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for this morning is taken from Colossians 2:1-2, and we will only focus on the first part of verse 2. Allow me to read for you these two verses, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together.”
Have you ever asked this question, ‘if there is one quality that the pastor should have, what is this one quality?’ What would be the one thing that the pastor should have that will make him a true and faithful shepherd of the flock? Some people would say that it is the knowledge of the Bible. No doubt the knowledge of the Bible is certainly important. But there are many theologians and principals of Bible colleges who are not pastors themselves. Some would say it is experience — the pastor needs the experiences of life to be able to deal with the different challenges and issues. Others will say it is boldness and courage. Yet others will say it is leadership qualities, eloquence, and articulative skills, and so on and so forth.
While all these things may have a part to play in the life of the servant of God, if we have to choose one quality out of all this, the most essential, necessary, and important thing would be the love for the church. We all know that the Apostle Paul wore many hats. He was an evangelist, a theologian, a scholar, a leader, a church planter, and most importantly a pastor. But whatever titles might be given to him, he was serving the Lord Jesus Christ. He was able to love the Lord with all his heart, his soul, and his strength, and the church that God had called him to minister to, because God first loved him.
It was God who had saved him from eternal damnation and called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. So he not only served the people at Colossae, but he also ministered to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, Thessalonians, and all the other churches. Indeed, love is an indispensable component whereby all the other components are based upon as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
A person can serve God without love. That will be vanity at best, but at worst it will be hypocrisy. But no man can ever love God and not serve Him. It is the love for the church patterned after the great Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for the church. That is why in Acts 20:28, the exhortation was given to the elders, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
What church? Not this physical building, but the body of believers that Jesus Christ had bought with His own blood. So the pastor, the preacher, the minister, the under-shepherd, and whoever God may call can do no less than that. That is why Paul was willing to suffer to fulfil whatever is necessary for the faith of the believers. And he said in Colossians 1:24, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.” He was willing to suffer for the body of Christ — the church, the believers.
Dear friend, this same principle applies to all of us believers. Jesus loves us so much that He bought us with His precious blood, saved us from eternal damnation. For what purpose? And then He placed us in a local church like this. For what purpose? That we may serve Him with the same love. In fact, the Apostle John also said, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” (1 John 5:1)
It is impossible for you to say you love God and yet you don't love the brethren. Whoever loves God will love those who are begotten of God — the believers. The title of our message is The Indispensable Component in Serving God, and that is love.
So Paul loved the church very dearly. And when he looked at the Colossian brethren, he saw that the church and other sister churches at Laodicea were being attacked by false doctrines and false teachers. The false teachers had infiltrated into the church and were introducing false teachings and heresies. Paul had a tremendous burden for them, even though he had never met them before. He did not establish the church at Colossae. It was Epaphras who founded the church, and he reported to Paul all the problems the Colossians were facing. And Paul was in prison.
When he heard about those troubles, it created an anguish within his heart — so much so that he sat down and wrote this letter to the Colossians. Some of us may be asking, ‘how could Paul love the people whom he had never seen, a people whom he had never met before?’ Well, it doesn't matter, because his love for the church was not based on the people per se; it was based on the Christ who died for them.
It was not a discriminating love like some people would say, ‘I only love Australians, not Asians,’ or ‘I only love the Indians, not the Chinese.’ It was not a love based on personalities — ‘I like you because of how you look, and I dislike you because of also how you look’ — or people who share the same common interest. He loved the church, the whole church, because he loved Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, this is the kind of love we should pattern ourselves onto. We love the brethren no matter who they are — whether they be people whom we know or people whom we have never met before, regardless of their races, ethnicities, or cultures, the churches around us, our brethren in Myanmar and the Philippines, and the Christians around the world. Is there such a love kindled within your heart for the churches, for Bethel BP Church, for the brethren? Do you have such a love?
Paul said beginning with verse one, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh” (Colossians 2:1). In other words, Paul was saying, ‘I wish you would know what great conflict I have for you.’ The original Greek word for ‘conflict’ is from where we get the English word ‘agonising.’ In ancient times, it was a word used to refer to the athlete endeavouring and striving to win the race. No one but the athlete who is involved in the competition, where victory is everything, will be able to understand what it means to endure such an agony.
Just as no Christian who is involved in the things that will glorify and honour God will not be able to understand this agony. We will understand this agony because we are involved in it. So instead of bickering, competing, quarrelling, and fighting with one another, or being proud and rejoicing in the failures of other believers, you and I ought to have the same agony in our hearts and souls for the believers who are struggling and going through a most difficult time.
When they struggle, we struggle. When they are going through a difficult time, we are also going through a difficult time. We agonise with them. There is this great conflict in our hearts. So as Paul served the Lord with this indispensable component that was love in his heart, he desired for the church to have two things. And these are the same two things that we ought to have for our church if we truly have love.
I. That Their Hearts Might Be Comforted
Firstly, that their hearts might be comforted. What comes into our minds when we talk about the word ‘heart’? Emotion, right? When someone draws a picture of a heart or sends you an emoji of a heart, straight away you know that he means, ‘I love you.’ Most certainly, love is one aspect of our emotions. But our heart is more than just the emotion, because the emotion is simply a responder. It is responding to something. Emotions never initiate. They only respond.
Allow me to briefly explain. When you see someone in need and your feeling, which is your emotion, responds to the need and you say, ‘I have a heart for him or her,’ what you are suggesting is that it is more than just the emotion part, because there’s also the seeing and the understanding, which is the mind.
Oftentimes the Bible would use the heart and the mind synonymously, interchangeably. In other words, what the mind thinks, the emotions respond, and then you give. They are all connected. So the heart or the mind is the central part or the totality of the entire person of which all the other emotions would respond. The heart is the controller, so to speak.
The sad thing is that oftentimes our emotions would respond to things that we think are true, but in reality they are not. By way of illustration, have you ever been lying in your bed and then all of a sudden you woke up with a shock because you thought you were falling into a deep, deep, dark hole? You were not falling, but your mind perceived it, and your emotion simply responded to it.
That is how it works. And that is the problem with the charismatic movement. They try to get to the emotion without the mind thinking rightly. Think about the things they would do. They hype up the music, get the people dancing, shouting ‘hallelujah,’ and try to bypass the mind and work on the emotions. That is why people would say, ‘My heart feels so good.’ But the problem is that their emotions are responding to something they perceive as true, but it isn’t true.
Sometimes we hear people say, ‘Just follow your heart. Do what your heart says.’ And then the next thing we see is the foolish decisions they make. Their lives are all messed up, and they behave so badly. How do we control our behaviour? The key to controlling our behaviour is to guard our hearts. And we guard our hearts by filling our hearts, which is our minds, with spiritual truths. And then we will be able to respond — our emotions, our actions would respond — to the truth.
Listen to what the Bible says about guarding the heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ Why must we guard our hearts diligently? Because it will affect our responses to the circumstances of life. Proverbs 23:19 says, “Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” In other words, we guide our hearts by hearing and perceiving the truth, so that our emotions, our actions are controlled, and then we respond to the truth rightly. Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.”
The only way for us to protect and preserve ourselves is to keep listening and obeying the Word of God. This is the only way we will not forget, because once God’s truth has departed from our hearts and our minds, then our emotions — our responses to the events and situations of life — would be open to all kinds of errors.
Therefore, we must not only teach ourselves, but our children and our children’s children the truth of God’s Word, lest they also respond to the situations of life based on their emotions only, without the spiritual understanding — that their hearts might be comforted. The original Greek word for ‘comforted’ (parakaleo), is a very beautiful word. It can mean ‘a call to come alongside, to beseech, to exhort, and also to encourage.’ It has the idea of comforting, encouraging, and strengthening. Your mind and my mind need to be strengthened. We need to have a strong mind — a mind that has courage, a mind that has convictions, a mind that has principles, and will live by those principles.
But how do we get a strong mind if left on our own? We are a people who are weak in our thinking. We do not have convictions. We do not know and believe in the truth, and we do not pursue after the truth. But the God who saved us is so gracious. He who has transported us out of darkness and into His marvellous light has also given to us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And all of us know what is another name for the Holy Spirit: Comforter.
Remember Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
So we not only read the Bible for ourselves in order to guard our hearts and minds, but we also depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. As we live our lives yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit, as we walk in the Spirit, He will teach us, strengthen us, comfort us in times of troubles, moment by moment, day by day, step by step. And the Holy Spirit does it as we feed on the Word of God. And He does it through the trials and difficulties we face. And He does it through the servants whom He has called to teach us — like pastors, ministers, and preachers.
That is why the Apostle Paul said to young Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:2, “These things teach and exhort.” The same word for ‘comfort’ is translated as ‘exhort.’ So God has blessed the church with pastors and preachers to teach us, exhort us, comfort us, strengthen us with the Word of God through the wonder-working of His Spirit.
So whether you have been ministered by the Word of God through your own personal devotions, or you have been ministered by the Word of God through God's servant who preached to you, it is the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter, the Strengthener.
Dear friend, as a church, we want to serve the Lord, and we want to serve the Lord with this same love. If we truly love the people whom we are ministering to, whether they be our parents, our children, the Sunday School little ones, the fellowship groups, whoever they may be, then we must be committed to teach the Word of God. And our desire is that their hearts might be comforted in that their lives, their emotions, their hearts and minds, their actions, the way they think and live, will be guided by the Word of God through the Spirit. That ought to be our desire.
II. That They Might Be Knitted Together In Love
Our second point is that They Might Be Knitted Together in Love. Being knit together in love. The word ‘knit’ means to unite. Do you know that people are united together for so many different reasons, and for the wrong reasons as well? People in the ecumenical movement call for unity, but that is certainly for the wrong reason.
Some years ago, one old resident in the elderly home said to me that his children are united together as one — for what purpose? To fight against him. How sad. If what he said is true, most certainly it is a wicked unity. In the commercial world, people are united perhaps for economic and financial reasons. In the political world, perhaps for reasons pertaining to power and authority.
But what about the church? Unity is something that seems to be lacking in many churches. Are we a united church? Are we one in Christ? The irony is that there are so many things we have in common, yet there seems to be so much division. We all come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith. We all believe in the same God. We all believe in the same Saviour. We all have the same eternal life. We all belong to the same body of Christ, the church. As Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
You and I have this positional unity. But the problem is that sometimes we lack this practical unity. Basically speaking, we are one in Christ. But practically speaking, we are often not. By that I mean we don’t always manifest this unity, this oneness. And that is something that confuses the world, something that causes the world to stumble, and then to mock the Christians: ‘Look at them. They all say that they believe in Jesus Christ, but look at how divided they are.’ Remember Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” - for what purpose? “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
Positionally, we are already one in Christ. But we have to live out this unity so that the world may be able to see. But this unity is never void of the truth. You can never separate the two. We are united in the truth. It must be rooted in God’s truth. We have already dealt with that in our first point. Our hearts and minds must be strengthened by God’s truth. But if this truth is only just for head-knowledge’s sake and it is not applied into our lives, then it is just dead orthodoxy. We need to live out this truth, be united together in love, because love is the element that will unite us together. You love the truth, I love the truth, he or she loves the truth — and we are all united in the truth with love, and we grow in this love.
Some years ago, a student was giving his testimony at the Bible College Thanksgiving service, and he spoke about a certain lecturer who was very strict. He said, ‘I am learning to love her.’ Someone turned to me and said, ‘How do you learn to love someone? You either love, or you don’t. How do you learn to love?’ It is a very interesting thought, right? But it is possible for us to learn to love and to cultivate this love. God will not command us to do something that is impossible. It is possible to learn to be united together in love.
In Philippians 2, Paul began by asking: “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ” — surely there is - “If any comfort of love” - most definitely there is -“If any fellowship of the Spirit” — obviously there is -“If any bowels and mercies” - of course there are. (Phillipians 2:1) Then he went on to talk about, ‘if that be the case, then you must be united as one. But how? By not being proud. By humbling ourselves, esteeming others better than ourselves. By not caring for ourselves only, but caring for others as well.’
But that is a very difficult thing to do, right? Well, we are not left on our own, for we have the most wonderful example for us to follow — and that is our Lord Jesus Christ, who is eternally the Almighty God. Yet He took the form of a servant, came into this world, humbled Himself, and went to the cross of Calvary, died, and shed His precious blood to save you and me. This is the most wonderful example for us to follow. If you have any difficulties with loving another person, think about how much Christ loved you. He loves you so much that He came for you, and He died on the cross for you.
So dear friend, let us take a moment and consider our church. When every one of us applies this biblical principle into our lives — by humbling ourselves, esteeming others better than us, by not caring for our own things only, but caring for the things of others as well, by following the example of Jesus Christ — will our church not be united as one? Most certainly we will. God has placed us in this church not by chance or coincidence, but by His appointment. And He wants us to serve Him in this church. He wants us to serve Him with this indispensable love in our hearts.
The way to cultivate this love in our hearts is to guard our hearts and our minds through His Word and the wonder-working of His Spirit. And we desire the same thing for our brethren, for every one of us in this church — to be humble, to esteem others better, to follow the example of Jesus Christ. When you and I do that, we will all be united together as one in love, to the glory of God. That is the kind of church God wants us to be. And that is the kind of church we desire to be too.
As we look forward to celebrate our 39th anniversary, it is a wonderful thing to celebrate anniversaries. But what is so wonderful about anniversaries? If it is only for people to look at us and see how divided we are, it is only wonderful not. Only when the people see us united as one, and when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself knows that we are one in Him. And then He will say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21).
This is the most wonderful commendation we can ever receive on our anniversary. May Bethel BP Church be such a church, with this indispensable component that is love, as we serve the Lord Jesus Christ all the days of our lives. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for how Thou hast established Bethel BP Church, sustained us throughout all these years. We have come thus far and it is not our doing, but Thy doing. Forgive us, for we know that there are times when truly we are divided. In our hearts, we know that positionally we are united in Christ. We all believe in the same God. We all have the same salvation, the same eternal life. We belong to the same body of Christ, and yet practically speaking we do not reflect that unity. Forgive us.
Thou hast taught us, and it is only through Thy Word that will guard our hearts and our minds, so that we will not live our lives only based on our own emotions and feelings, but always be guided by Thy truth. And it is only through the wonder-working of Thy Holy Spirit that we are able to live such a life — to be united together as one in love. And we love Thee. We want to serve Thee with this indispensable love, and we are able to do that because Thou first loved us.
Help us always to be mindful of this blessed truth. Thou who hast first loved us will continue to love us, and love us to the uttermost. And may this love that we have received from Thee be shared abroad from our hearts to the people around us, beginning with the church and to the people all over the world. That Bethel BP Church will truly be a beacon of light in this dark and sinful world — 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
Our Spiritual Union With ChristOur Spiritual Union With ChristColossians 2:11-12
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
What It Means To Be ForgivenWhat It Means To Be ForgivenColossians 2:13-14
Human Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomHuman Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomColossians 2:8-10
