Sanctified by the Cross

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, So walk in Him. Colossians 2:6 Our dog Ruby has a problem. She has a soft spot for squeaking toys.  Tenaciously she clings to that which we gave her.  When she receives a toy it is to her: chewable good news.  Every time it squeaks it is shouting forth that news to all who can hear it.  She squeaks the squeaking toy not only for the benefit of our hearing (thanks Ruby); she seems to be squeaking it so that she would hear the good news for herself again and again.  Having received it, she will not move on.  If you attempt to take away what she is clinging to, she will growl and hide under the coffee table making it very clear that she never intends to move on.  If you bring out other toys she will not move on or shift from that which she first was given.  She doesn’t get bored with it, she won’t move on. She seems to get more and more insistent that the toy that she first received is not onl...

4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent from the body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.      Colossians 2:4-5 There are a lot of ideas out there. Almost as many worldviews (or ways of making sense of life, humanity and why we are here) as there are people who believe them.  Some seem benign and harmless enough.  These ideas about what really matters and how the world really works, all without exception, have consequences. The committed suicide bomber, the materialistic rationalist and everyone in between have been captured by the consequences of their worldview.  Paul gives some time here to make sure the folks in Colossae and the Northwoods after them would realize these consequences and take right action.  Paul wrote earlier (2:2-3 ) that his desire for us was “to reach all the riches of full assurance of un...

2 (I struggle that they may) reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Jesus Christ is the key to all encouragement and love.  That, I find, is often where people stop in their pursuit of Christ.  He encourages them and loves them and they wonder if he has anything left to offer. He is safe there and does not seem to ask us for too much.  Consider this: Christ is also the key to all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Everything you know and can know should be known through Christ.  Paul is working hard for them, vs 1, so that they may reach all the riches of full assurance in their understanding and knowledge of this mystery that is the gospel.  When you start doubting, wondering if it is really true, wondering if you did the whole faith thing right, when so many other ways seem so appealing and Christianity get...

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all those who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ. Colossians 2:1-2 “I want you to know how great a struggle I have,” Paul says to the people at Colossae. Seems odd, does it not? The word he uses for struggle is agonizomai. Paul is agonizing, in real pain and effort that they may be encouraged at the heart level. He basically says I struggle with all I have to give you more of Christ so that you will be encouraged. Why though, would they need to know that Paul is agonizing on their account? Think with me of Bill Colossian, the average guy from Colossae who is hearing Paul’s letter. He hears Paul say, “I’ve been struggling for you.” Bill might be thinking that Paul must be talking about Epaphrus and the churc...

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Colossians 1:28-29 The apostle Paul worked his tail off.  Even a cursory reading of Acts and the epistles confirms this.  He did this not so people would see him or admire him, but so that they would see and worship Jesus.  He struggled and labored immensely so that the people around him would become mature in Christ.  You have a large portion of you New Testament because of Paul’s God wrought commitment to this end. Consider a few things with me as we are called to take up the same mantle that Paul had. Him we proclaim :  Struggling for maturity means that we proclaim Jesus and him alone as our only hope. We do not proclaim politics, the latest Christian fad, how God can help us accomplish our goals, how he can live a great and happy life, how ...

(I was given this) stewardship from God… to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:25-27 What comes to mind when I say the word Mystery? Generally our answer would be something unknown to us currently and potentially unsolvable. A mystery generally involves our inability to come to full knowledge of something because of our limitations.  Mysteries riddle us, confuse us and often leave us scratching our heads in fuzzy misunderstanding.  Many would find this to be true with the Bible itself; It is mysterious, hard to understand and confusing.    Yet, God gives us help. He has granted a gifts to help us understand that which is mysterious about his word.  Here, it says that Paul himself was given this stewardship to make...

“ 20  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…”  1 Corinthians 15:20  Last week we considered what it means if Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead. My intent was truly to be encouraging in helping us see how important the resurrection is.  Sadly we often only think about the resurrection around Easter.  Let me continue from last week and prod you to consider what is now and eternally true because Christ has been raised from the dead. Nothing will ever be the same.  The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive!  Jesus Christ is the risen reigning ruling, radiant Savior who defeated death and sin and Satan for you and I if we believe.  It means that everything has been reversed. The world is turned inside out and upside down to serve Christ’s purposes, and that, that is good news. It means that all we talked about last time is not meaningless, pointless, or to be pitied.  It means that all that we do as Christians has mean...

Why is Easter Sunday the biggest day on a church calendar? Why is the celebration of Easter so important?   I speak not of bunnies of chocolate or imagination, or eggs of plastic found. I talk about the celebration of the resurrection. Asked another way, what if that first Easter Sunday never happened? Jesus Christ would not have been raised from the dead. This Easter, consider what our faith would be without the resurrection to see the importance of the resurrected Christ. 14  If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15  We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perishe...

24  Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25  of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, Colossians 1:24-26 Does anything seem odd about the verses you just read? You did read them didn’t you? Two things stand out to me. First, Paul rejoices in his sufferings.  To us this seems odd.  Most Christians throughout the world, however, get this. See the article from last week.  Just once I’d love to see a Christian endure suffering for the gospel, painful or difficult and go on U.S. TV and instead of gaining a bunch of glory talking about how hard it was or about all the books they plan to write, say instead “You know, Jesus said there would be days like this.  What’s the big deal? This is normal.”  The second thing that actually start...

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known. Colossians 1:24-25 What happens when you cut a butterfly out of its cocoon?  You ultimately render the butterfly no better off than before it entered.  In the desire to shield the butterfly from the pain, struggle and suffering, you took away from it the very thing that it needed to go through to develop properly.  Without the struggle, the butterfly’s internal juices don’t flow to its wings and they never become flight ready.  In removing its suffering, you have removed its flight. Suffering, pain, difficulty and hurt are all things we generally do all we can to avoid. So why does Paul say this? How does he rejoice in his sufferings?  The answer is i...

23  If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. Colossians 1:23 How many hobbies have you started and not seen through? A dusty sewing machine? A neglected exercise bike? New golf clubs propped up in the corner? We have a problem with perseverance.  We lack stick-to-it-ness.  This bleeds over into our relationship with God.  That is why Paul here encourages us to Continue, Stable & Steadfast. Meaning to persist, adhere to, stick with.  His call is not to keep being religious, trying really hard to be disciplined, nor striving really hard for God to accept you.  He’s saying, if you continue, and I’m sure you will if you are really a Christian, you prove that you are truly saved.  This is a strong warning not to shift from the hope of the gospel. Why do we shift from the hope...

  21  And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22  he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. Colossians 1:21-22 God starts nature’s spring cleaning routine early. Many of us here in the northwoods wonder if God sometimes forgets spring altogether. God however begins to think about the spring renewal and set it in motion even during the fall and winter months.  Think for a second of what your upcoming spring cleaning routine looks like.  You and I wait until the actual spring to accomplish it.  God in his perfect wisdom starts early.  Here’s how it works. In order to have an “in with the new” experience what must happen? “Out with the old. Enter the fall and winter seasons.  The same is true in our spiritual lives. In order for the in with the new spiritual life that God offers through Christ, there must be an out with ...

           People are currently divided, Not sure if you have noticed.  Many opinions are expressed and I do not intend to give mine here on political and leadership decisions.   What I do intend to do here is to help us see the bigger picture, the broader context into which we can helpfully place ourselves.  In doing so we can find some stability, hope and steadiness that keeps us from the twin perils of despair at what could happen and wrongly placed hope or idealism in the fallen world system. Listen to Colossians 1:15, 19-20:  15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… 19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.               What would th is have said to the Colossians in their cont...

18  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  Colossians 1:18-20 What one believes about Jesus Christ is one of the most important things about them.  It is more important than the car we drive, the amount in the bank, or even what our friends may or may not think about us. Everyone in this world is in a tight spot, having rebelled, rejected God and because of it, the world and our lives are thrown into futility.  All of the striving that we do that seems vain is because it is not for Christ and his purposes.  The scriptures say that creation groans to be reconciled to God.  And the deepest groaning of our hearts push us to the realization that something has gone...

15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17 One of my favorite comedic sketches would have to be Abbot and Costello’s Who’s on First.  Being an avid baseball fan and possessing the middle name Brett after KC’s hall of famer George Brett, I love baseball and anything related to it.  The sketch, besides being comedic gold, reminds me of another more important question.  Instead of wondering who is on first base, it makes me ask who is first? In my life and in the universe who is really on the throne? The Bible has one clear answer, God’s son, Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. Jesus looks like or exactly represents God. (Hebrews 1:...