Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070603.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part VI: Trusting Christ's Supreme, All-Sufficient Discipling Work To Mature Us All Fully
(Colossians 1:24-29)
  1. Introduction
    1. Some Christians think that if they lack formal theological training, they can not really mature in Christ.
    2. Well, there is far more to maturing in Christ than knowing a lot of facts; we all know people who are learned in the Bible but who do not live godly lives, and some do not even profess Christ as their Savior!
    3. In Colossians 1:24-29, Paul countered the Gnostic error at Collosse that held only select few knew God's deep mysteries and so could fully mature, so we view this teaching for our insight and edification:
  2. Trusting Christ's Supreme, All-Sufficient Discipling Work To Mature Us All Fully, Col. 1:24-29.
    1. The Epistle to the Colossians has as its theme "the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Christ", and Paul promoted this theme to equip his readers to resist errant beliefs that tended to hinder their trust in Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., p. 1690, "The Colossian Heresy."
    2. Having stated in Colossians 1:21-23 how Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency positionally stabilized the believer in his salvation, Paul relayed in Colossians 1:24-29 how Christ in His supreme headship of the Church willed to mature all Christians opposite the Gnostic error that held only a few could thus mature:
      1. Paul began to relate how his sufferings for the spread of the Gospel filled up what lacked of Christ's afflictions, Col. 1:24. This did not mean Christ's cross was insufficient, for the word, "afflictions" here is "never used in the New Testament of Christ's death," but of "distress, pressure or trouble" that Christians often face in godly life and service, cf. Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 675. Christ's words to Paul on the road to Damascus at his conversion show how such affliction is felt by Christ as each believer is part of the spiritual body of which Christ is the Supreme Head, cf. Acts 9:1-4; Col. 1:18.
      2. In this context, this is a very encouraging statement by Paul: he revealed that even the distress, pressure or trouble believers face in serving God are so subject to Christ's supreme, all-sufficient headship that He makes all these trials contribute to the Church's overall advance, cf. Acts 9:13-16 implied.
      3. Accordingly, as part of his Supreme Head's spiritual body, Paul noted God had given him the ministry in the dispensation of the Church to "make the word of God fully known," Colossians 1:25 ESV. This claim dramatically countered the Gnostic error that the Colossian believers faced (as follows), 1:25-26:
        1. The Gnostics taught full spiritual knowledge was possible only through "mystical experience," Ibid.
        2. Yet, Paul claimed he was giving God's full knowledge as a regular part of his ministry, Col. 1:25!
        3. Also, the "mystery" of God was not the Gnostic idea of "secret teaching known only to an exclusive group and unknown to the masses" (Ibid.), but truths not revealed in the Old Testament era but had now been revealed in the Church era, the new revelation that Christ would dwell in formerly lost, pagan Gentile believers, the hope of glory, Colossians 1:25-26.
      4. Indeed, Paul added he gave this truth under Christ's headship, warning and teaching every man in all wisdom to do what the Gnostics felt was impossible -- to present every man mature in Christ, 1:28:
        1. Gnostic heretics felt only a select few could gain insight into God's deep truths and maturity, "an intellectual oligarchy" as J. B. Lightfoot called it (Colossians and Philemon, 1974, p. 98-99).
        2. Yet, in the program of discipling of which Christ was the Head of every believer, Paul preached of the newly revealed "mystery" of Christ in each believer, as taught, warned and proclaimed to all believers, equipping each one of them to be presented by Paul to God as mature in Christ, 1:28!
      5. For this ministry, Paul added that he "toiled, struggling with all his [Christ's] energy that he powerfully works within me" in direct opposition to the Gnostic error the Colossians faced, Colossians 1:29 ESV!
Lesson: The supremacy and all-sufficiency of Christ in His HEADSHIP of the Church is so great that Paul's presentation of the new truths of the dispensation, primarily the truth of Christ in past Gentile pagans who are saved, was ABLE to disciple ANY believer into FULL MATURITY in the Lord!

Application: May we not be intimidated by our lack of some specific knowledge as though it can keep us from being matured in the Lord. Our Supreme, All-Sufficient Savior and Head of the Church, Christ, can FULLY MATURE any one of us believers if we YIELD to His Word, will, and leading in our lives!