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This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To Be (Colossians 2:2b-5)
I. Assurance Of The Truth
II. Be Wise In The Truth
III. Committed To The Truth
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Allow me to read for you Colossians chapter 2, verses 1–5. The Apostle Paul said to the Colossians, “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 in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.”
The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word. Our text for this morning's message is taken from the second part of verse 2 to verse 5. In the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul said to the Colossians that this is what I want you to know: the great agony I have for you, that your hearts might be comforted and you might be united as one.
Then he went on to say, “this is what I wish for you to have and to be.” And this is the title of our message. I have outlined the message with the acronym ABC: To have an “Assurance of the Truth”, “Be Wise in the Truth” and be “Committed to the Truth.
I. Assurance of the Truth
Dear friend, as a church, as a family, as an individual, what is the thing that you wish for the people whom you love dearly to have and to be? Firstly, we want them to have an assurance of the truth. Beginning with the second part of verse 2: “…unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” (Colossians 2:2)
The phrase all riches means the abundance of something, and full assurance means to be 100% confident. The question is: to have the abundance and 100% confidence of what? — “In the understanding and acknowledgement of the mystery of God that comes from the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. “(Colossians 1:26) as mentioned in the preceding chapter.
Biblical mystery is not like the mystery in our modern-day English. It is not something unknown, like a novel with a twisted plot or a puzzle. The meaning of the word mystery in the Bible is often used to describe something that was hidden in the past (the Old Testament), but was now revealed in the New Testament.
This was a reference to Christ who was 100% God, and He became 100% man to die on the cross of Calvary to save His people from their sins. He was buried, but He rose again from the grave on the third day. And one day He shall return again, and He shall rule the world together with all the glorified saints for 1,000 years. All these truths were taught in the Old Testament, but they were not fully revealed before the coming of Christ. That is why it was known as a mystery, and this mystery is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To understand is to know this biblical truth in our minds. To acknowledge is to believe it in our hearts. When these two words are used together, essentially it means to have a settled conviction in Christ: what He has done for us on the cross of Calvary; what He is doing for us in the present; and what He promised to do for us in the future. And He alone is sufficient for us. That is what the Apostle Paul wanted the Colossians to have — a full assurance that Christ alone was sufficient for them.
The problem with many people is that they may know who Jesus is. You ask the average person in the street, they can tick all the boxes that Jesus is the Son of God, who came from heaven to die on the cross for the sins of His people. He was raised from the dead, ascended unto heaven, and one day He shall return again. But they do not believe these truths in their hearts.
The knowledge of Christ cannot stand alone without believing it in the heart. Salvation involves both knowledge and belief. That is why some theologians say there are some people who will miss heaven by six inches — six inches from the mind to the heart. It is not enough to say, I know who Jesus is. But do you truly believe Him in your heart? If there's no connection between the mind and the heart, that is what it means to miss heaven by six inches — because all you know is head knowledge about who Jesus is.
Salvation is a supernatural spiritual work that only the Holy Spirit can wrought in the heart. It is the grace of God: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.“(Ephesians 2:8–9) That is why whenever we share the gospel with our unbelieving loved ones and friends, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts, that they may turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
But it is possible even for believers to doubt their salvation — and it is because of the lack of knowledge, or they do not believe. They know the truth and believe the truth. They may be truly saved, yet they can still doubt their salvation. Why? For them, their problem is in the assurance. You see, the trials, struggles, and difficulties of life can cause us to doubt that Christ alone is sufficient for us. Our hearts need to be assured that He who saves us will save us to the uttermost. And the only way our hearts can be assured that Christ alone is sufficient is to apply what we know in our minds and believe in our hearts into our daily lives.
II. Be Wise in the Truth
This brings us to our second point: Be wise in the truth. Look at verse 3: “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, KJV). Again, in whom is a reference to Christ — which means Christ alone. In Him alone are hidden all the wisdom and knowledge.
The original Greek word for treasure is from where we get the English word thesaurus, which means a treasury of words. Here it is a reference to the treasury of all wisdom and knowledge. In other words, Christ alone is the treasure house of all wisdom and knowledge that you and I need, not only to be saved but to live our lives on this earth.
The word knowledge is a reference to the general understanding of biblical truth. The more information we gather, the more biblical truth we learn, the more knowledge we have. That is why we often say, he or she is more knowledgeable than me — meaning to say, he or she knows the Bible more than me. But wisdom is different. It is far more than the accumulation of information. It is the application of knowledge into the circumstances of life. We need wisdom to apply the knowledge we have in a given situation.
There’s no doubt that Christ alone is sufficient in all things. He is the only one we need. He is our life. But how do we see the reality of Christ being sufficient for all things? Allow me to give you some examples. We all know the Bible says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). That is knowledge. We want to worship, serve, and glorify our God. But how can we? We are weak, frail, and sick. Well, we put our trust in this knowledge that God will strengthen us. Then gradually we are raised from the bed of affliction, and we are able to do the things we desire to do.
We know Jesus said: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26). We have lost our jobs. We are not able to put bread and butter on the table, or pay our children's school fees. Well, we put our trust in this knowledge that God will provide for all our needs. Then one day we are gainfully employed, and we are able to provide for our own families.
The Bible says: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7) Most of us are very familiar with this verse. We are worried. Our hearts and minds are overwhelmed with anxiety because we are facing certain trials and afflictions. Perhaps we have just received a devastating medical report. What do we do? We put our trust in this knowledge that God is in sovereign control of everything. Then all of a sudden our hearts and minds are filled with the peace that words cannot express.
We know the psalmist said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). We are lying on our death beds. We know that all it takes is just a breath away from death. And we are afraid. Well, we put our trust in this knowledge that our God is in control of life and death. And death is but an instrument to usher us into His presence. And then we are strengthened in our inner man. We are able to say to our children: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). Don’t worry about daddy and mummy. You put your trust in Jesus Christ, and live like the way we did. And in the sweet by and by, we shall meet again on that beautiful shore in heaven.
You see, we may understand all these theological aspects of God being the Strengthener, the Provider, the Prince of Peace, the Controller and Sustainer of life and death. But the greater blessing is when you and I personally experience the reality of Christ being truly sufficient for all things. It takes not just knowledge but wisdom — the application of it — for us to be able to experience this reality.
Dear friend, every day we are being faced with different challenges and issues of life. None of us know what is in store ahead of us in the future. None of us is in control of the situation. In times of adversities, when we have difficult decisions to make, whether it be problems pertaining to our church, our families, our marriages, our children, our work, our relationships — oftentimes we do not know what to do. What do we do when we do not know what to do? We need wisdom.
If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to James 1:5. Here is a wonderful promise from the Almighty God, who says through the Apostle James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5).
The original Greek word for “if” is a type of conditional clause that assumes the condition is true. In other words, it is a fact that we all need wisdom. Some may need more, others less, but everyone needs wisdom. Everyone should recognise the need for wisdom.
The word “lack” means shortage. If there is a shortage of wisdom — surely there will be. The idea is not that we are totally without wisdom in a given situation. We may have some knowledge or some principles to guide us, but we will find that we still have a shortage. We may know some general things, but when it boils down to the specifics, we just do not know what to do.
We seek God through the knowledge of His Word, and He promises He will not withhold His wisdom from us. He will give it to us liberally, which means bountifully or generously, and upbraideth not, which means without reproach. Our God is a God who will give us wisdom faithfully, willingly, gladly, generously, and bountifully. Our God will not withhold His wisdom from us. It is not like one part of Him is willing to give and one part of Him is not willing and He is going to negotiate with us. That is not our God. Our God is willing to give wisdom to all His children. Now that is a most wonderful promise.
But with that most wonderful promise also comes an awesome accountability. Let us pause for a moment and ask ourselves: if you and I respond to a situation in an unwise and foolish way, whose fault is it? If God has promised that He will give wisdom to us, and as His children, we respond to the trials of life, to the decisions we make, to the things we say and do without exercising wisdom — why didn’t we? Because we didn’t ask God. We didn’t seek Him. We didn’t keep knocking. We didn’t take the command to ask for wisdom seriously. It is our fault. Isn’t it true?
Dear friend, we are wise only if we pay attention to the truth of God’s Word and we ask God for wisdom to apply the truth we know and believe in our hearts into the situations that are presented to us every day of our lives, as we face different situations. We ask God for wisdom to apply the knowledge that we know. Be wise in the truth.
III. Commit to the Truth
Our third point is: Commit to the truth. Verse 4: “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” (Colossians 2:4) The original Greek word for “beguile” is very interesting. It means to give you something similar or parallel to the truth — but in reality, it is not. It is for the purpose of deceiving you. The phrase “enticing words” means persuasive words. In other words, do not let anyone deceive you with persuasive words.
These are the people who will say things like: "Are you sure Jesus is able to save you? Are you sure He who saves you will save you to the uttermost? Maybe along the way He may forsake and forget about you. Look at the trials and afflictions you are facing. If He loves you, why would He allow all these things to happen to you? Is Christ really all-sufficient to you?" Their purpose is to challenge your faith and cause you to doubt God.
The Apostle Paul knew that the false teachers and Judaizers had infiltrated into the church at Colosse. They were deceiving the believers with their persuasive words, causing them to doubt God. Therefore, he said to them, “You must be grounded in the full assurance of the truth. Be wise in the truth, and be not enticed by those persuasive words that are meant to deceive you.” He went on to say in verse 5: “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.” (Colossians 2:5). Which means: though at this present moment I’m in prison writing this letter to you, I’m not physically present with you. Yet am I with you in the spirit — enjoying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
Recently a dear friend of mine passed away in Singapore and I received the obituary from his family regarding his funeral worship service. As much as I wanted to attend the worship service, I was not able to. So I responded by writing an email to them, and I said: “Though I may not be physically present with you, I am with you in the spirit” — which means, you are always on my mind and I’m always praying for you.
Parents, one day you may have to say the same thing to your children who have to go overseas for work or studies. You cannot be physically present with them, but you are with them in the spirit. Even right now as we speak, they may be living under your roof, but you cannot be physically present with them all the time. You are at work while they are at school. You are at home while they are in their friend’s house. None of us can be with our children all the time, because we are not omnipresent. But we are with them in the spirit. That is the idea here.
And as Paul was thinking about the Colossians, as he was praying for them, as he was with them in the spirit — he was rejoicing because he knew how they had lived a disciplined life. That is the meaning of “beholding your order”. They had lived a disciplined and ordered life. Notice the last phrase: “and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.” The word “stedfastness” is a military term, which means to be fully committed and unmovable. To be fully committed and unmovable in what? In their faith in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever watched the guards at Buckingham Palace in London? Perhaps you have on television. We used to watch those guards — how majestic they look on television. The guards will stand at attention. The crowds come and go, but they stood still. Some of the people may marvel at them, others may mock at them, yet others may make funny faces at them. But they remain unmovable. Nothing could move them from their appointed place. In a similar fashion, we must guard this precious faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we must never be moved.
The wiles of the devil will always attack us. Satan cannot do anything to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. But what he will attempt to do is to cause us to be moved away from what we believed in. Today we are living in a world that is said to be progressive. People use this word so frequently. Oftentimes people will say, we have to change because times have changed. It is one thing when people use the word “progressive” to refer to technology, political views, and worldly values. But it is another thing altogether when they use this word “progressive” and intrude into our Christian faith.
Many try to say the Bible has to change because times have changed. What was relevant in the past is now no longer relevant in our modern times. That is why we see churches progressing toward the theistic evolution theory — that God used evolution to create the world — instead of holding to the fundamentals of the Bible, that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1) out of nothing. Marriage is no longer between one man and one woman. They are progressing toward the ecumenical movement, the feminist movement, the gay movement. You name it, they have it.
The wiles of the devil may be enticing, crafty, and diversified, but you and I must be steadfast and unmoveable in the faith of Christ. We must build our foundation strongly in Him and not be moved away. We must not hold God's truth in a callous way but hold it firmly and never let it slip away from us. Each generation of Christians have received this truth from others, and we must guard it. Make sure to keep it pure, that it may be passed on to the next generation, so that the next generation can have the purest of God's truth and drink it to the satisfaction of their souls.
I often said this, and I will say this again: how sad it would be if five years down the road or ten years down the road to know that the church has drifted away from the pure Word of God. Can you imagine the little ones we see running around the church having nothing to hold on to and no foundation to build their lives upon? That would be most tragic.
Therefore, it must begin with us, this generation, so that our children can watch us live out the truth — having this assurance of the truth, being wise in the truth, applying wisdom to the knowledge we know in our minds and believe in our hearts, and being committed to the truth. And we pass on this tradition of steadfastness to the next generation, and to the following generation, and the following generation, for as long as the Lord would tarry in His return. This is what we wish for you to have and to be.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for how Thou hast reminded us once again the importance of Thy truth. It is Thy truth, the purest of Thy gospel, the Word of God that has saved our souls. And we ought to have this assurance of the truth and to build our foundation upon it, that we be wise in Thy truth — applying what we know in our minds and believe in our hearts to any given situations. This is the way that we ought to be wise, and also to be committed to the truth.
What has been passed down to us, we ought to guard it and make sure it is pure, and to pass it on to the next generation. Howbeit, we acknowledge that this is a spiritual work which none of us is able to do based on our own strength. But Thou hast given to us Thy Spirit. Through the empowerment of Thy Spirit, we will be able to do so. So may each and every one of us have this assurance of Thy truth, be wise in Thy truth, and be committed to Thy truth, all to the glory of Thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.