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Remember Who(se) You Are (Part Seven) “Guarded by Gratitude” Colossians 2:1-8 |
February 19, 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum |
I want you to rev up your powers of imagination to full speed for the next few moments and try to picture yourself living within the following scenario—the city in which you are living has been surrounded by enemy forces and their mission is your destruction. And, as if that weren’t bad enough, this enemy has not only surrounded your city but they’ve also infiltrated it. Enemy sympathizers are living among you and they are working around the clock to undermine the city’s defenses; all of which means that you are living in a very dangerous place and in very dangerous times.
And then, in the midst of all of this bleakness, you suddenly discover a song that your enemy and all of their sympathizers cannot bear to listen to. The moment that any of the enemy forces hear this song they turn and run in the opposite direction.
Question—Given that scenario, do you suppose that you would want to learn that song?
Well, obviously, the answer is, “Absolutely.” In fact, you’d not only want to learn the song but I have to imagine that after you’d learned it you’d be singing it constantly.
--As you rolled out of bed in the morning you’d start your day with that wonderful song.
--As you headed off to work, you’d be singing it in your car.
--As you moved through your day you’d be singing it as you interacted with associates and strangers alike.
And as your confidence in the power of this song grew so, too, would your boldness grow. This song would become so much a part of you that you would sing it with great joy at the top of your lungs as you walked right through the enemy lines to venture out to other cities. In time, others would begin to be drawn to you and they’d learn the song. And eventually this once great enemy would be rendered impotent and pose no threat at all.
John Piper tells that story in his commentary on the opening verses of the second chapter of Colossians and he draws this application.
--That we are, in fact, surrounded by an enemy. His name is Satan. Jesus called him, “the father of lies.” His weapons are deceit and delusion and his goal is the destruction of your faith.
--And he has many sympathizers. Sympathizers within the city of our own souls. Sympathizers like the flesh, the old nature, our old self and all of its desires and weaknesses.
--But there is a song that the enemy and his sympathizers simply cannot tolerate. They simply cannot bear the sound of this song. Every time they hear it they turn and run in the opposite direction. And the name of this song is, “Thanks be to God.” Folks, one of the most powerful of all the weapons that God has given us to guard our souls from the forces that seek to destroy our faith is the awesome and irresistible power of a grateful heart.
We talked, last week, about the treasure that we have through the presence of Christ in us; the wealth of riches that God makes available to all of us as we live by the power of Christ in us. And, this morning, I want us to see that one of the most effective ways for us to protect the treasure that God has given us in our relationship with Christ is to sing a new song of “Gratitude to God” everyday.
This is the seventh stage of our journey through the book of Colossians. Today, we’ll look Colossians 2:1-8.
Beginning in verse 1 Paul writes, “I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.”
Let’s take a brief moment to remind ourselves of the context in which this letter is written. Paul is writing this letter from a Roman prison cell to the Christians in Colosse…a group of believers that he wants to meet but has not yet been able to meet. And he’s telling them that even though he hasn’t yet met them or a number of other churches that he’s aware of, that he nonetheless feels a powerful connection to them. In fact, his connection to them is so strong that he wants them to know that even as he is locked away in a prison cell he is “struggling” for them. The Greek word translated here as “struggling” speaks of the kind of intense striving and passionate laboring that leaves you utterly exhausted and spent.
Now, two questions immediately come to mind. The first is this—What kind of intense struggle can you engage in from a prison cell for the benefit of someone else? Paul says here, “…I am struggling for you…” So the question is, what exactly is Paul doing in his prison cell when he exerts himself in this intense struggle for the sake of these believers that he’s not yet met?
Well, while Paul doesn’t specifically answer that question for us, it appears that he’s talking about prayer. He wants these believers to know that even though he can’t be with them in person, that he is nonetheless supporting them by faithfully lifting them and their needs to God with impassioned, consistent and fervent prayers.
And that leads to a second question, namely, why does Paul want them to know that he’s praying for them? And clearly he does because, at the beginning of verse 1, he says—“I want you to know…” this. Why is it not enough simply to pray for them? Why does Paul want them to know that he’s praying for them?
Well, Paul actually answers that question in verse 2 when he says, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love…” So, Paul’s hope is that these believers will be encouraged and united when they learn that he’s praying for them even though he’s not there with them.
The NIV is a little bit misleading here because it inserts the word “and” between “encouraged” and “united.” The word, “and” is not in the Greek text. More literally it reads, “…that their hearts will be encouraged, having been united in love…”
So, the flow of thought is this—as these believers realize that Paul, whom they’ve never met, is nonetheless fervently lifting their church family up to God in his impassioned prayers that the bond of love that these believers feel toward Paul and toward one another will be strengthened and increased; that they’ll be drawn more closely in love to one another.
And it’s at this point that we encounter one of the treasures…one of those “glorious riches”…that God reserves for those who are connected to the body of Christ, the church. And that is that as our hearts are bound together in love for one another, we not only experience increasing measures of affection for one another but we also experience increasing measures of understanding into the “mystery of God.” In other words, as our love for one another grows deeper so, too, does our understanding of God.
And that’s the point that Paul addresses in the next part of our text. And to help understand the process that Paul is describing here in verses 2-3 let’s remember that, last week, we noted that in the New Testament the word “mystery” speaks of knowledge that cannot be attained through human reasoning alone, but can only be revealed by God. In other words, if God doesn’t choose to reveal it, this insight…this understanding…this knowledge will remain forever hidden from us.
Now, with that said, listen to what Paul says here in verses 2-3: “My purpose 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, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
What Paul is telling us here is that there are certain insights into the nature of God that God only reveals to those of His children who are bound together in love. In other words, God delights in filling with wisdom those heads that are connected to loving hearts.
Now, let me ask you a practical question. Are you still sitting on the fence, trying to decide whether or not you want to get involved with one of our small groups? If so, I hope this pushes you off the fence and into one of those small groups because those groups are designed to provide you the perfect opportunity to develop deep and loving relationships with your fellow church members. And, folks, those kinds of relationships between brothers and sisters in Christ are so important to God that as we grow in our love for one another God opens our eyes and reveals to us “treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Now, as we move forward in the text we see why it is that Paul is writing with such urgency. These brothers and sisters that he’s not yet met but dearly loves are under attack. Someone is trying to lead them astray. Someone is trying to undermine their faith, so he writes in verses 4-5, “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.”
So, Paul has experienced great joy as he has heard reports of the firmness of their faith, but he is now very concerned by reports that someone is trying to undermine their faith “by fine-sounding arguments.” And his concern for them has prompted him to write to them in the hope of strengthening them in their faith so they won’t be led astray.
And in the 3 verses that we’ve just examined we’ve seen Paul’s strategy for strengthening them in their faith. Now, let’s walk back through it and get real clear about how this 5 Step Process works.
--First, he prays for them faithfully and earnestly. He struggles for them in prayer.
--Then, he tells them of his prayers on their behalf and he does so in the hope that this will then…
--Encourage them and bind them together in love for one another in the hope that;
--Out of this deeper love for one another their eyes will be opened to new insights and understandings into God so that they will be…
--Strengthened and remain firm in their faith.
Now, folks, what does this mean to us? How do we apply this to our lives, today? Well, I suppose we could wrestle with that all day long, but let me call your attention to just one lesson that we simply must learn from all of this—and that is that when we pray for one another…that’s no small thing. And when we fail to pray for one another, that’s also no small thing.
This whole process of strengthening the faith of these believers who were under attack began with Paul’s faithful prayers on their behalf. And that ought to tell us that if our desire is to see our church family protected from all those threats that can weaken our connection to one another and weaken the strength and firmness of our faith we dare not neglect the ministry of praying for one another.
--How often do you pray for the protection of your church family?
--How often do you pray that we will grow deeper in our knowledge of God and firmer in our faith?
--How often do you pray that we will be knit together with stronger and stronger ties of love?
Folks, this fellowship that we enjoy together is a precious gift from God. Let’s not take it for granted. Let’s protect it with our prayers.
Now, as we move on to verses 6-8 Paul is going to revisit and reinforce the same basic themes that he’s been addressing in verses 1-4 with the addition of one new idea. In verse 4 Paul issued a warning about being deceived by “fine-sounding arguments.” Now, in verse 8 he reiterates that warning saying, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” In other words, don’t be led astray by arguments that sound convincing but, in fact, are not rooted in God’s word and not consistent with what you know of Christ.
Then in verses 6-7 he speaks, as he did in verses 2-3, of the strategy that enables us to resist the enemies’ attempts to erode our faith. And it’s at this point that Paul identifies a final key component in that strategy, namely, gratitude. He writes, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Overflowing with thankfulness. Folks, this is such an important lesson for us and the lesson is this—there is a direct connection between the firmness of our faith and the gratitude that is in our heart.
--We invite into our lives the seductive deceptions of the enemy when we fail to nurture within ourselves a spirit of gratitude to God.
--What’s more, we invite into our church the seductive deceptions of the enemy when we spend more time complaining about the church than being grateful to God for the church.
The point is this—an ungrateful Christian is an easy target for Satan to lead astray, while that Christian in whom a spirit of thanksgiving to God abounds is protected by a wall of gratitude.
Paul further develops the connection between gratitude and being well guarded spiritually in Colossians 4:2 which says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” A more literal translation of that verse would be, “be watchful with thanksgiving.” So, the point is that we build a wall of protection between ourselves and the enemy…and between our church and the enemy as we move through our days singing a song of gratitude to God.
Folks, God has revealed to us the treasure of Christ in us. And he wants us to experience all of the glorious riches in that treasure. But we live in dangerous times and in a dangerous place and our enemy and all of his sympathizers are working around the clock to rob us of the joys found in this treasure.
Now, let’s be real clear about this—he can’t steal the treasure from us. Once Christ is in us, He’s in us for good. But if we’re not on guard he will absolutely steal our joy.
Don’t let it happen. To you. Or to your church.
Pray for each other, every day.
Love each other, every day.
Grow deeper together in your faith.
And, as loudly as you can, sing to God a brand new song of gratitude every day.
© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum