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As we work through the book of Colossians our focus is on the passage that was just read for us: Colossians 1.24-2.5. So please have that open in front of you. But to make sense of that we need to look back to what’s come before it. Paul has just passionately painted a picture of who Jesus is and what he has done. He is the Saviour, the Creator of all things, the One in whom all things hold together, and the Head of the Church. That is who he is. He has forgiven us our sins and rescued us from the domain of darkness and given us a place in his kingdom. That is what he has done. But the good news that we have come to believe, this gospel, is far, far bigger than just us. The Colossians were small in number, a seemingly insignificant group of people on the margins of society. Perhaps you feel that about us too. Well, the gospel is global: Jesus is Lord over all the cosmos, and the good news of his rescue is for all the world. But it is also the only way the whole universe can be saved. Colossians 1.15-23:

He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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 pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 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, 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.

And so that brings us from Jesus the one and only savour of the world to those whose job it is declare that good news to the whole world – including Paul who is writing the letter. In these verses, we see how this cosmic view of who Jesus is and what God is doing makes a difference in two areas. It defines the job description of those who are true Gospel messengers and it makes it crucial that we guard the true Gospel message. Both things flow from who Jesus is and the uniqueness of what He has accomplished for us.

1. The Goal of the True Gospel Messenger

Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians, but he hasn’t yet met them. They first heard the good new about Jesus, the gospel, through Epaphras (we saw that in Colossians 1.7), but he was trained up by Paul. And so Paul is introducing himself to them and showing them that both Paul and Epaphras were true gospel messengers or faithful ministers of Christ, as Colossians 1.7 puts it. And in the first half of our passage, he shares with them his job description. He wants them to know what his aim is in this letter and in his work for them; just like a teacher might put up on the screen the learning objectives for the lesson or a coach might introduce a training session with the skills that the team will be working on in that session. But he also wants them to join him. We’re used to the language of minister to be for the select few, the experts, the professionals if you like. But as he proclaims the gospel he expects those who come to believe in the gospel to become in turn those who also proclaim the gospel. He himself was an apostle, with a unique role. And he talks about his own role, but he then very easily and smoothly moves from talking about I and me to we. Colossians 1.28:

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ

So let’s look more closely at the goals of the true gospel messenger. Look at Colossians 1.24:

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

Here, we witness Paul's profound identification with the sufferings of Christ. He willingly endures hardships and persecutions for the sake of the Gospel. Not least as he writes this letter from prison, being chained because of preaching the good news about Jesus. And from other parts of the Bible, we know he was imprisoned and repeatedly flogged and beaten as well as stoned. He knew many cold and sleepless nights and hungry and thirsty days. The call to serve Jesus was a call to suffer with him. He isn’t saying that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was somehow insufficient for our salvation. How could that possibly be, given the incredible description of Jesus we have just seen! The forgiveness we have through Jesus came at a great cost to him, and that was sufficient to pay for all my sin. We remember that as we share bread and wine together; His body was broken and his blood was shed so that I might be forgiven. So it is no surprise that the True Gospel Messenger (whose goal it is proclaim the saving work of Jesus) will follow the same path. The Lord and creator of all that exists was willing to step down and suffer for the sake of others and in the same way, taking the gospel message to the whole world will require personal sacrifice. It will require giving up at least a degree of comfort, and investing time and money. But knowing that Jesus is the way, and not just one way, knowing that everyone needs to hear the good news, Paul says he rejoices in any such suffering; not because he enjoys pain, but because he understands the purpose behind his suffering. Paul's suffering is not in vain; it's for the benefit of others, for the sake of the church. He goes on (Colossians 1.25-27):

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, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 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.

Paul had a unique role. Up that point, the extent of God’s cosmic plan of salvation was not full known or revealed until Jesus had died, risen from the dead, ascended and sent the Holy Spirit. And up to that point, the word of God was mainly known by the people of Israel. Paul was an apostle who received from God an understanding of the gospel mystery and so was among the first to declare the gospel that was now fully known. And he was tasked with declaring it beyond Israel to the gentiles – in other words to the whole world. But his own role in that not really his focus. His focus is on the incredible gospel itself, and he sums it up as Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is the heart of the gospel message; blessings today and blessings beyond death.

The true Gospel messenger's goal is to make known this glorious mystery. It's not merely conveying information but introducing people to a life changing relationship with Jesus himself. This message isn't about following rules but encountering a living Saviour who, dwells in us by his Holy Spirt transforming our lives from the inside out. And the sure and certain hope that after death we will be raised to new glorious bodies that will never again perish, spoil or fade. The gospel message is all about Jesus. Paul continues (Colossians 1.28-29):

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

This is the purpose of Paul’s life. They shaped his priorities. We need to ask: do they shape ours?

Him we proclaim. Whether it is reaching out to those who don’t know about Jesus and or building up believers it is by teaching about Jesus. Key things is Jesus is the centre.

Warning everyone. Correction; warning against sinful behaviour and erroneous beliefs. Say the hard things out of love.

Teaching everyone with all wisdom. Encouragement. Not own wisdom. The whole counsel of God.

In order to present everyone mature in Christ. This should be the clear aim in ministry and personal lives. Christian teaching and ministry are for all believers, not just a select few. Appropriate teaching and training that is accessible to all members of the church. Hard work, but it is his power that enables us to do it and keep doing it.

Application: We can learn from Paul’s example of being a servant of the gospel and of the church – by being involved in spreading the gospel to unbelievers and in helping fellow-believers to grow. Perhaps you are not yet serving in this way. Whether that is in church life or simply taking opportunities when they come up to speak about Jesus to those you rub shoulders with day-to-day. Maybe you haven’t realised it’s not just for the professionals! Maybe there are other reasons holding you back from getting too stuck in: wondering if you have anything to offer. Or you think “This is a large church, I'm sure they don't need me to get involved.” Then Paul says step out and take a risk. Play your part in proclaiming Jesus so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Right now we have more opportunities to than we have people able to take them. Whether that’s teaching everyone with all wisdom at Celebrate Recovery on Monday nights, or in student and youth small groups, or in our uniformed groups to take a few examples.

We also need to set our expectation so we are not surprised when it involves suffering. Natural to feel somewhat afraid of that. We value comfort and the easy life don’t we – and we are encouraged to cut out anything that gets in the way of convenience and comfort. But is that getting in the way of us serving in this way? Perhaps one of the main reasons speaking of Jesus will bring suffering is because of the clear way that Paul has reminded us that the gospel message is for everyone. Our cultural norms are that we can design and shape truth in any way we see fit, and if it needs to change, it can. There is also Paul’s burning drive to get the good news out to everyone. That will also be the goal of all those who are true gospel messengers. As a church that is why we’re working at being a church where absolutely everyone is welcomed (whatever cultural or social background) and to work hard at being accessible to all. It's also why we give such a priority to supporting God’s work throughout the Globe – in prayer, financially, practically supporting those who have been sent from this church. It is why we are praying that we will be able to send out Pete Alston from our church staff to live in Japan and work to strengthen churches there. We had hoped to do that in November as our mission gift week. That isn’t going to be the right time, but when the time is right we will. And it is why this term we want as a church family to consider how we may be able to support the Hope Church in Wallsend. Some of you know their pastor Ben Cadoux-Hudson from this time leading the internationals work here. We’ll hear more at our termly prayer meeting on Wednesday.

We want to get the good news to everyone. What part can we play? I know that many of you are already using the gifts God has given you to serve others. You may even have been doing this for more years than I have been alive. This won't be true of all of you, but for many the issue for you (especially maybe at this time of year) is simply exhaustion and wondering if you will have the strength to keep going. Listen to how a friend put this to me:

I feel absolutely exhausted and lacking in joy. I feel that I give out an enormous amount in service, but get little back. I live life at the moment feeling that I’m always playing catch up – I don’t spend enough time with my wife, I don’t spend enough time making non-Christian friends, I don’t invest in Christians as I should do, my work is not as good as it could be, I don’t rest enough – it just feels like it is impossible for me to fulfil adequately the responsibilities God has given to me.

If that’s you, then Colossians 1.29 is for you!

For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Keep going in his strength! He is worth it!

2. Guard the True Gospel Message

Given the goals of the true gospel minister, it’s not surprising that he goes on to encourage them to hold firm to the gospel message. He warns them against the dangers of conflict and not remaining united. He hasn’t met them – but he knew from experience that this is a danger God’s people face everywhere. Reflecting on who Jesus is and what he has done for them, should cause them to put aside divisions and be united by the gospel. His goal is to strengthen the faith of the Colossians and unite them in love, ensuring that they continue to trust in Christ alone. Colossians 2.1-2:

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 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

He also warns them to watch out for those who may seek to deceive them. He wants them to see the danger of deception and false teachings that threaten to divert believers from the truth. The true Gospel message must be guarded against anything that dilutes or distorts it. There are two big dangers here. First is what you might call JESUS-PLUS: the danger of those who would tell them that their faith in Jesus alone was not enough to put them right with God - they needed something extra/else. For example, certain rules must be kept, or certain experiences must be had. The other is JESUS-MINUS: Those who preach a partial presentation of the gospel. Jesus tidied up a bit and with the uncomfortable and old-fashioned bits updated. But they are not making Jesus fully known, and so we need to learn to be discerning. Just because someone speaks from the Bible, or is ordained with a fancy title, doesn’t guarantee anything about the content of their teaching. It must be weighed against what the Bible teaches. We must listen or read actively perhaps especially when we think we don’t need to, comparing the things we’re told with the text of the Bible from which we’re being told them. Paul continues in Colossians 2.3-4:

In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

The true Gospel message is not just a collection of ideas but a source of wisdom and knowledge found in Christ alone. It's crucial to be rooted and built up in Him, so we are not easily led astray by persuasive but empty arguments. He’s going to tackle this further in Colossians 2. But for now, Paul concludes this section in Colossians 2.5:

For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

These are warm words – even more so given he hadn’t ever met them. He is encouraged by their steadfast faith in Jesus and that they have not moved away from the true Gospel message. But his goal as a true gospel messenger is that they would guard the true gospel message. By God’s grace the same will be true of us as a church.

Heavenly Father, thank you for speaking to us through your word and for what it shows us of your son Jesus. Thank you that in Him, all things were created, and through Him, all things hold together. Thank you that through his sacrifice, we have been reconciled to you, freed from sin's grasp, and offered the hope of glory.Thank you too for the example of the Apostle Paul, who joyfully endured suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Help us, Lord, to follow his footsteps, proclaiming Christ with boldness, warning against sin, and teaching with wisdom. May our goal be to present everyone mature in Christ.Lord, we pray for the strength to persevere in our service to you, knowing that it is your power working within us that sustains us. We also ask for discernment, Lord, to guard the true Gospel message. Protect us from false teachings and deceptive arguments that seek to lead us astray. May we always remain firmly rooted in Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. In his name we pray, Amen