Colossians 1:28-29

Colossians chapter 1 I will begin reading with verse 24 reading through verse 29 our focus is on verses 28 and 29 this morning 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 whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God even the mystery which have been hid from ages and from generations but now is made known 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 whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labor striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily may God bless to us is sacred and holy word this morning. Ministers can have a great effect upon their hearers and we know that they’re supposed to be shepherds of the flock to provide leadership and spiritual guidance and therefore if a minister is off doctrinally he causes those who hear him to drift away from the truth. Jesus once said if the blind follow the blind they’ll both fall in the ditch. Think about it like this. What’s the difference between a watch and a public clock? Well, with a watch, if it’s wrong, if your watch is wrong, very few people are going to be affected by it, you and perhaps someone who asked you the time. But when you have a public clock, like a time square or maybe a big bend and London or something of that nature, when it’s off, it can throw everybody around off because there’s a lot more people that are involved. So it is with the minister who is teaching false doctrine. We find that if he is going to harm every soul that listens to him if he’s teaching false teaching. And this is serious matter when it comes to those who have great influence in a particular society or around the world. At this point, Paul emphasizes the doctrine and manner of preaching that is necessary for the salvation and the spiritual growth of your soul. You should pay careful attention, I think, to what he says here in verses 28 and 29, so that you may discern whether or not you’re hearing biblical teaching or not. Paul’s example certainly, I think, sets the standard for us. This is how it should be done. And verses 28 and 29 provide, I think, the guide for all true ministers of the gospel. I want to talk about true preaching from this passage this morning. Now let me begin by saying this. You should realize the message of true preaching. And that is, whom we preach here. Or as Paul sells elsewhere, we preach Christ in 1 Corinthians 123 for whom he refers back to verse 27 when he says about Christ in you the hope of glory we preach him we’re preaching Christ sound preaching focuses upon the person and the work of Jesus Christ that is the central message Now, Paul doesn’t mean simply that he speaks of Christ generally. There’s not a false teacher that doesn’t use the name of Jesus Christ in their teaching. Paul speaks of heretical teachers to the Corinthians who come and preach, he says, another Jesus. Not the one we preach, but another Jesus. And they often find false teachers out there preaching another Jesus. But the whole Jesus. The one Paul preaches is the one that is the central focus of our message. Don’t be fooled just because somebody talks about Jesus Christ. Don’t imagine all who talk about Jesus Christ are genuine ministers of the gospel. Many years ago, there was a Methodist church council in which there was a speech given against theological formulations, creeds, and doctrine. We need to get away from all this. and just preach Christ. A pastor from Haddonfield, New Jersey arose and asked which Christ? That’s a pertinent question. Jehovah Witnesses proclaim a Christ, but he’s a mere angel and he’s not equal to the Father. The social gospel will preach of Christ to look at Christ’s good example and they’ll focus on him as a man. Rudolph Boltman spoke of of a mythical, unknowable Christ. Obviously, Christ must be carefully defined. And now we have to come to doctrine. What Christ are we talking about? Well, well, look at chapter one. What has Paul been speaking on the second half of this chapter? That’s the Christ that we need to be preaching. The Christ who has a kingdom in which you were translated by God into. A Christ, according to verse 13, a Christ who, provides a blood atonement. Verse 14. A Christ who is in the express image of God, verse 15. The Christ who reigns as king over all, verse 15. The Christ who is the creator of all things, verse 16. And for whom all things were created, verse 16. The Christ who preserves his creation, verse 17. The Christ who is the head of the church, verse 18. The Christ who is resurrected from the dead, verse 18. The Christ who possesses all the fullness of God, verse 19. The Christ who makes peace between God and the sinner, verse 20. And Christ who will present his people wholly, unblamable, and unreprovable, in his sight, verse 21. That’s the Christ we need to be preaching, except no substitutes. He’s the only Savior and Redeemer. It’s by his righteousness that believers are justified by his blood. They have forgiveness of sins. This is the Christ who came into the world to save sinners. No man preaches Christ unless it is the one described and defined in the Word of God. So you should realize the message of true preaching is Christ and is the Christ of Scripture. Secondly, you should realize the manner of true preaching. He says, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom. Warning and teaching. A great part of the minister’s work could be placed in these two categories, informing the understanding by instructing from the Word of God and rectifying the will on the affections of men by admonition and rebuking. for the word of God. Now, man needs to be warned about his lost state, his conditioned by nature, the wrath to come, hellfire, the final judgment where he has to give an account, the filthiness of his own righteousness and the need to cast it aside and embrace the righteousness of Christ. The pursuit of worldly lust and pleasures and where that ends and how that affects one, The curses of the law, the deceitfulness of his own heart, the danger of religion, our religion without Christ, all those things we could mention as warning. But man needs to be taught about the gospel of Christ. Actually, you need to be taught about the whole council of God, where we see all that God has to say about life and how we’re to live and so forth. The command to repent and believe on Christ, justification by grace, faith in Christ, the riches and glory that are found in Christ, the way to live godly using the law as a rule of life, the way to worship God in spirit and truth, how to pray, so forth and so on, we can go on and on. Let me make this observation. The duty of the minister is to personally apply the Word of God to you. He is, we are to teach every man and we’re to warn every man teaching every man how is that this is done it’s not enough for me to just speak generally about the gospel and the things of God after all this is not a book club where we come together and you know study this ancient book and see how well it’s written or something of this nature and and are thrilled by the story line in it the duty of the minister is apply the message of God’s word to the heart of the hear. In other words, it does no good to merely speak of David’s adultery and Noah’s drunkenness and Peter’s denial and Thomas’s unbelief unless you are warned, admonished, instructed by those events so that you avoid these sins and evils yourself. For instance, you’re taught about David’s sin with Bashiba. Well, then it’s my duty to apply and say, thou shalt not commit adultery. The minister is to point out the terrible consequences of this sin in David’s life and see, see what happens when you commit such a sin. How did it affect his family? The minister has explained the danger of lasting after a woman as he looked down from his rooftop and saw, and saw, and it. a nude Bashiba and how that led to the adultery and then he’s to take the scripture in Matthew 5 and say that whosoever look us on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart you see what we’re saying here this is how he warns and he teaches by making application to the heart you know all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for instruction, for reproof, for instruction and righteousness and so forth, for correction. These things the Bible tells us, and we’re to do that. Even an obscure passage from the law of Moses, like thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. We could dismiss that and say, well, that’s talking about ancient agriculture. it doesn’t have anything to do with me, but it does. Because Paul does take such an obscure text and says, now here’s what we can learn from this text. He’ll follow Paul’s example here. Doth God take care for oxen or saith he at all together for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt this is written. And what is the lesson to be learned? That the laborer is worthy to benefit from his own efforts. That’s what we’re to learn from. Of course, he uses it to say, well, pay the pastor. It’s working. But we can use it for all of life. The farmer benefits from his farming and so forth. So the scripture teaches the words of God are as goads and as nails, fastened by the masters of the assemblies which are given from one shepherd. Clesiastes chapter 12, verse 11. What in the world is he talking about? Well, if we take the shepherd as the chief shepherd here, the Lord Jesus Christ, if we take the masters of the assemblies as the ministers, then we just have to talk about the goads and the nails. I suggest you the goads of the warnings, and the nails are the teachings of Scripture. A goat is used to urge a sluggish oxen on. Misappointed stick. Polk the oxen. The goson. The gau. goad is a warning of the minister. Who doesn’t need to get goaded? Sometimes we get in a spiritual funk. Maybe that we have cold formality about our spiritual life, and the minister goads us, opening the word of God. Now, a nail is used to hold something in place to fix it, right? So the nail is the teaching of the minister to fix in your mind doctrine of truths or the things of God, to drive at home. because you remember it. So don’t be surprised if you sit under the preaching of someone who is opening up the scriptures that your conscience may be pricked, that you would be stirred in heart to action, or move to rejoice. Yeah, sure, why not? Because it is to be applied to you. That’s what the teaching is all about. Warning and teaching. Now, he says we’re to warn every man. And in all wisdom, there’s a threefold repetition of every man. Paul means by this people of all sorts and all kinds. Every type of man. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor. It doesn’t matter whether you’re highly educated or, you know, finished grade school, and that’s all you have as far as education. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Jew or Gentile. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white. The message is the same. for everybody. Everybody needs the same message. In all wisdom refers not to human wisdom, but divine wisdom. We’re to teach and warn every man in all the things of God that has revealed to us. For I’m not ashamed to declare unto you all the counts of God, Paul says. In other words, Paul taught every man in all aspects of what God has revealed in his words, the complete spiritual education is what we need. Many years ago, a Roman Catholic priest, Father Fogentio, was teaching on pilot’s statement, what is truth. And he told his audience that he had at last, after much searching, found the truth. He held up his New Testament. Here it is, my friends. And then with a sorrowful look, he said to them, but to you, It is a closed book, and he shut it up and put it back in his pocket. For the Roman Catholic Church keeps people ignorant of divine wisdom. Oh, it’s too high doctrine for the common people to know. They shouldn’t be studying the scriptures. How different from the Apostle Paul? Every man in all wisdom. It is the duty of the minister to conceal nothing of the saving truth of Scripture. There are some that believe that theology and doctrinal teaching is too much for the Christian to handle. you’re overtaxing them. You’re getting too deep. A family member one time tell me, he said, what do you want everybody in your church to be a theologian? I wish they all were. Yes. I want them to know God well. And I want them to know the scriptures well. How can we possibly reach out to the world if we don’t know what God says? If we don’t have the message in us. For the average Christian, we’re told, it’s just too overwhelming to teach them the full council. of God. Oh, you can’t talk about election. I tell you, read the epistles of Paul. Almost every one he starts, he talks about the mean the elect of God. And everyone, is it too much to mention that right off the bat at the beginning of a letter? Is this too deep? You know, I get frustrated because it seems to me we want to give out gospel light today. Something, you know, light and airy, nothing too deep, nothing too difficult. Paul makes no exceptions. He’s going to teach them all the wisdom of God, the whole mystery of the counsel of God that he knows has been revealed to him. He is going to teach us and it’s all here written out in Scripture and that is our obligation to teach the people. My duty is to the word of God. My duty is to proclaim what God says in his word. It’s tragic. It’s tragic because now we have people who are professing Christians in an an anemic state because no one, and the church is the, is the blind. for this has spent the time to go and teach the more difficult things of the Word of God. But my friends, don’t we need to know it all? No wonder we’re unable to cope with the world and the flesh and the devil. Friends, every Christian needs to be well-versed in Christian doctrine, knowledgeable about God’s purpose in Jesus Christ and what he’s doing in this world. So you should realize the manner of true preaching. warning and teaching every man in all wisdom. Thirdly, you should realize the goal of true preaching that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. The idea here is what Paul and his companions in Apophorus desire to achieve is to have every man taught and warned in such a way that when they stand before God, that they will stand before God perfect in Christ on the last day. You notice the word present here. He’s talking about on the day of judgment that he wants to be able to present them complete in Christ or perfect in Christ. Now, think about this a minute. Can you go it into heaven without being perfect? I read in the book of Revelation that no one can enter the city that’s defiled, right? The holy city? Nothing defiled can enter into it. Are you and I capable of grasping what perfection means? Well, it’s described in verse 22, isn’t it? In the body of his flesh through death to present you, here we have the same eye, to present you, here’s how you’re to end up. On the last day, holy, unblameable, and unapprovable in this sight. Isn’t that how we’re to end? God is perfect. Now, we, as fallen creatures have trouble grasping perfection, but if we can put it in the language, verse 22, I think tells us exactly what he means. God is not going to allow anything into heaven that would defal it. It would be barred from entrance. And here we are, we’re fallen in Adam. Every man and woman in a state of God. complete corruption and depravity so that God says there’s none good, no, not one. He looks over the sons of men, and he doesn’t see anybody that’s good. Honestly, if you search the depths of your soul, evaluate yourself about this matter. Even if you’re a Christian, you have to admit, along with the Apostle, I’m carnal, soul to understand, and I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing. Consider your conduct, consider your words, consider your thoughts. your daily experience makes you bemoan your lack of perfection. Every harsh word that escapes from your lips cries out imperfection. Every sinful thought of your mind cries out of imperfection. Every act of conduct not done with the most holy and strict observance to God’s law cries out imperfection. You calm up the multitude of your sins, and you will confound. that you stand guilty before God. So in yourself, in yourself, there is no perfection. And therefore, there’s no entrance into heaven, is there? Only if you are in Christ, are you perfect and fit for heaven and prepared to be presented on the last day. What does it mean for you to be in Christ? I suggest two thoughts in this direction. The first is from Ephesians, if you would, chapter 1, verses 4 and 5. Ephesians chapter 1 and verses 4 and 5. According as He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, And so we have the idea of God sovereignly choosing for himself a people out of the masses of the human beings that he would create. And these elect people were given to Christ, united to Christ. So that when God chose Christ, the God man, the human nature of Christ, all these people were chosen in Him. now, if you went outside and you went to a forest and you picked up an acorn, and you just, just one acorn, and you plant that acorn, you know you’re going to get a tree. And from that tree, that oak, a bunch of acorn are going to come off of it. And you can take those acorns and plant them in more trees. You can have a whole forest. And yet it’s all contained in one acorn, isn’t it? And we have this idea with regard to Christ. In Christ, all the elect are in there. And therefore, when he’s chosen, we are chosen. And we are selected eternally united to Him. These are the people that God has determined to give eternal life to and have Christ die a substitutionary death for. And he’s doing this for the very purpose that they would be holy and without blame before him in love. Right? Isn’t that what we’re talking about? Isn’t that the end result we’re looking for? Now, let’s look at also Romans chapter 16 and verse 7. Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsman and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Now here, Paul is not a good man. speaking of eternal election because obviously we’d be all chosen together in eternal election but there were some who were considered to be in Christ before Paul was how were they in Christ they were by faith in the gospel of Christ they had become believers you you are consciously aware that you were in Christ when you come to faith in Christ. In words how do we know that we’re one of the elect? Well we’re brought to faith in Christ. are we not? So you were actually made secure in Christ before the foundation of the world, but no one knew it until you were brought to faith in Christ. And so he could say, these people were converted before I was, and that’s what he seems to mean here. When you embrace Christ as Lord and Savior, you’re assured of eternal life and of this heavenly aspect that we’ve been talking about. So what does it mean for you being Christ? What has to do with, certainly, our eternal election and also we could apply it to faith when we actually are brought to Christ. Now you’re considered perfect in Christ. Our text says every man who is in Christ is perfect. Does that startle you? It doesn’t say just the most eminent Christians are perfect in Christ is perfect. But every man who is in Christ is perfect. Before coming to Christ by faith, you may have been the blackest of sinners. Perhaps you were a drunkard. Maybe you were an adulterer. Maybe you were a prostitute. It doesn’t matter what we were. There’s plenty of sin to go around. But if you have truly believed in Christ, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 118. For Christ’s righteousness is credited your account and Christ’s blood washes away all your sin. And God looks at you in Christ and He declares that you’re perfect. You’re without spot or blemish. And there it is. Now, you may say to me, but you don’t understand. I commit sin every day that I live. So how can I be perfect? Well, you may look at your sins. You may cry out with Paul a wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death in Romans 724. While you are trying to live a Christian and godly life, you may find yourself beset with various sins at times. Maybe a quick temper. A caustic tongue. Troublesome lust, evil thoughts. Spiritual lethargy, worldly-mindedness, selfishness, we can go on and all. on. It’s all too true. But I tell you that in Christ, in Christ, you’re perfect. Those sins are not imputed to your account so God doesn’t condemn. It’s interesting in the Song of Solomon. The bride is not pleased with herself. She sees all her imperfections. She sees her lack of beauty. She’s out in the fields all day. She is not, you know, all dolled up. She’s not all, you know, doesn’t have, have all the amenities that a woman might do, all those things that that woman might do to make herself look beautiful. She says, I’m black because the sun hath looked upon me. I’ve been out here in the sun all this time working. What does the king? What does the Lord Jesus Christ say about his church? Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee, chapter 4 and verse 7. We look at ourselves and we say, we’re black. but Christ says there’s no spot in you. I’ve taken it all the way. Looking at the people whom he has redeemed, Jesus says you’re perfect, you’re without blamish. Now I tell you all this this morning because sometimes we get sad and we get downcasts because of our failures. And we are certainly not worthy of entering into God’s presence, but remember in Christ, you’re perfect. let this give you peace. Let this calm your soul. Let it cause you to rejoice. Let you be moved to love Christ more because of it. Let me close to this morning by asking this question. Are you perfect in Christ? Have you ever trusted in Christ for the salvation of your soul? Have you renounced your own righteousness? Have you placed your confidence? in Christ’s righteousness, which is perfect and complete. Have you come to realize that in yourself you were a vile and sinful? Good, if you have. That’s a good thing. Then go to Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That’s the message. That’s the message. Look at yourself. See yourself as you really are. Go to Christ and realize what you have. have in Christ and cast aside any thought of your own good works or your own righteousness to save your soul. You’re not perfect in yourself, but you’re perfect in Christ. You know, when the public clock conveys the wrong time can affect a lot of people. In the same way, when a minister whose teaching is wrong, has a lot of hears, they’re all going to be affected. True preaching preaches Christ. True preaching warns and teaches every man in all the wisdom of God. And true preaching wants to present everyone perfect in Christ because that is what we’re headed for as believers in Christ to stand before the Lord on that day of judgment holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in God’s sight. Let us close with a word of it. Thank you.