Living in the Knowledge of Christ
Scripture: Colossians 1:24-2:7
Rev. Steven B. Miller, Jan 22, 2012
Let us pray,
Lord Jesus, let your Spirit teach us and encourage us to live as people who understand the treasure that is in each of us. Give us the understanding of the salvation gift so that it will move us to thanksgiving and a passion to expand Your kingdom. We pray that you would quiet any distraction that we may have so that we would hear only your voice in this time. Be with this preacher as he shares the truth and power of your Word for us today. Bless us now as we come to your feet to listen again. For we pray this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
The power of the moment we come to understand the Love of God and the reality of forgiveness through Jesus Christ changes your life. At some point we also become aware of the treasure that has been received when we Jesus in our hearts. Paul, the apostle, understood his mission to share the truth of the Gospel because Paul considered knowledge to be matter of Life and death for all people. Paul had been so affected by his relationship with Jesus Christ that he was willing to do whatever the Lord would ask of him in the work of the Kingdom. Since the beginning of the church there has been a steady stream of people who were willing to die for the cause of Christ, and that sacrificial attitude continues even today.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, age 35, of the Church of Iran, faces death after refusing a court order to renounce his Christian faith. If the execution goes ahead he would be the first Christian to be officially executed in Iran for religious reasons in 21 years.
The pastor has defied a request by the Gilan provincial court, in the Iranian city of Rasht, to repent ahead of his September 2011 hearing.
Back in October 2009 the story began. While attempting to register his church, Pastor Nadarkhani was initially charged with protesting, but charges against him were later changed to 'apostasy' - or abandoning Islam - and 'evangelizing Muslims', which both carry the death sentence.
He was later tried and found guilty of apostasy in September 2010, and sentenced to death by the court in the city of Rasht. In June of 2011 the Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death sentence but asked the lower court in Rasht, which issued the initial sentence, to reexamine whether or not he had been a practicing Muslim adult prior to converting to Christianity.
Church officials say there may be as many as 100,000 devoted Christians in the country, and that Iran's leadership is concerned about the spread of Christianity in their nation.
Pastor Nadarkhani told the court during his first hearing that he had no intention of returning to Islam. He said: 'Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?' When the court ordered him to 'return to the religion of your ancestors, Islam', Nadarkhani replied: 'I can not.'
Jason DeMars, of the advocacy group "Present Truth Ministries" one of the groups tracking the events of this situation, said: 'This law dictates what should be done with apostates, depending on what type of apostasy has been committed. My sources tell me that the court has been told to give the "apostate" three days to recant, then execute him. If he refuses to repent, he will be killed.' But for the grace of God Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is still alive in a Iranian prison while he waits to see if he will die or be released because of the international pressure that his story has drawn.
As Paul well understood, the price for following Jesus can be very high. But Paul wrote many times that suffering for the cause of Christ was his badge of honor because it meant that he was sharing in the suffering of Christ, which was seen as the true mark of a disciple. The price to bring the profoundly valuable Gospel message was worth paying because others would know salvation. For that mission, Paul ultimately died to make it known the world.
With that background, let's take a minute to see where we came from last week. The sermon was titled "A Gut for God." In that message Dick helped us appreciate the supremacy and authority of Christ in God's creation. With that clear understanding, we come to a deeper appreciation of the reconciling work of Christ and the new day that we have as saints of God. And so that brings us to our focus for today - Living in the knowledge of Christ.
Lets turn and read together from the passage we have for today from Colossians 1:24-29.
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been 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. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.
This the Word of the Lord, Thanks be to God.
Here we are reminded that the message of the Gospel is of enormous value, and as we struggle to recognize that value, the message often gets clouded in the ordinary events of life. Paul desires that we know why he was called to bring the message and the glorious riches of Christ in them, which is the hope of glory. As I look around the culture of the United States, I see lots of effort to share the Gospel but I think the power of the message gets lost in the noise and busy lives that we experience daily. In 2007 Gene Weingarten wrote an article in the Washington Post titled "Pearls before Breakfast" about a man and his talent that was overlooked by busy people. Weingarten writes: "Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript-a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a . violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play."
"For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro on January 12,2007, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also might have noted the violin he played-a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post-"an experiment in context, perception, and priorities-as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"
Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway, Bell garnered about $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.
When Paul writes "I have become its servant by the commission God gave to me, to present to you the Word of God in it fullness." Paul knows the transformation of the message that he is bringing. He is able to discern through personal revelation and relationship with Christ that the message that has changed his life must emerge from to noise of the pagan religions that sought to steal the truth that God has given for all humanity. Our call is to carry on in the struggle that Paul illustrated in his life. We are the ones who must pick up the banner so that the message will never be cast aside in a culture of competing interests. Lets tum back to the text in Colossians as we read the Chapter 2 verses 1-7.
For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
This is the Word of the Lord, Thanks be to God.
The struggle to live for the message of the truth is very real. The battle is often subtle and comes from all directions as we live for Christ. There is an adversary who has one goal, to keep us from acting on our "knowledge of Jesus Christ." This struggle was illustrated to me a week ago Saturday by the theatrical version on the classic the "Screwtape Letters" written by C. S. Lewis. Max McLean did a wonderful job bringing to life the written correspondence between the senior demon Screwtape and his junior tempter Wormwood. The letters between Screwtape and wormwood focused on how to derail the life of a new Christian with distraction and human frailty. I believe the Screwtape letters are a great example of how reverse psychology can illustrate the spiritual battle we all face day to day as Christians.
The most interesting part of the evening to me was the question and answer time after the performance. Max McLean gave a powerful answer to a question by one gentleman. The question was "do you experience spiritual warfare when you act the part of Screwtape given the content of the Book?" Max's response was, in essence, "we all live our lives making choices everyday with two spiritual forces seeking to Influence our lives. As I have played the character of Screwtape I have become more and more aware of these influences as I make my choices."
Paul is correct to write of his struggle to make the Word of God known, because we need to hear that the work of the kingdom is not an easy road to walk. Just as the adversary influences Max McLean in his work as a Christian actor, so the believers in the church at Colossae were in battle with the teachings of Gnosticism. As you may know, the Gnostics thought that Salvation was achieved by escaping from their sinful bodies via a "special knowledge" rather than by faith in Jesus Christ. Gnostics believed that a dualism existed in the world. They believed all matter was entirely bad (read in their human bodies) and the things of the Spirit were entirely good.
This theological view created a licentious life style of breaking the law with no moral consequence.
This situation created fine-sounding arguments that would take God's people to a place of deception rather that the truth, and Paul understood the implications to the church. The simple truth was that fake religions were seeking to subvert the real truth of God's Word... just like today!
The Associated Press, wrote a story in 2006 titled "Police Display Fakes at Exhibition to Warn Art Dealers," it said:
"Scotland Yard recently conducted a private exhibition of forged paintings for art dealers. The objective was to send a warning to their select audience about the sale of forgeries, which some experts estimate make up 40 percent of the art market. The sale of these fakes can undermine the value of the genuine articles."
The forgeries at the exhibit were created with remarkable proficiency.
Reliance on documentation alone won't solve the problem because even that is often forged! Fiona Ford, of the Association of Arts & Antiques Dealers, said the level of skill displayed by the forgers was "terrifying." She added, "If every dealer saw this exhibition, it would further impress on them how careful they have to be."
The cultural reality we face in the United States today is clearly theological subversion to the truth we have in the Gospel message. We must be aware that there are so many religious imitations and distractions that seek to pull our attention away from the purposes that God has for all of us. Do a quick experiment with me this week. When you are driving, take the time to notice the bumper stickers, print adds, signage, and tee shirts with messages of our culture. How do these messages compare with the Word of God?
So how then shall we live given a situation that is not all that different than the one Paul faced with the Colossians? Paul has 4 encouragements for those who face life situations that are pushing us away from God's purposes.
1. Be Rooted - like a tree always growing deeper into the Word of God.
2. Be Built up - like a well-built house that can withstand the storms and the years of the elements. Because the tests will come as we stand for Christ.
3. Be Established - like a will written legal document that is clear and plain to the eye that reads it. Words that can guide us when life is clouded with emotion and stress is what Paul had in mind. (Review) Be rooted, be Built up and be Established and finally
4. Be Thankful - the over flow and spilling over of gratitude to God. There is nothing more powerful than a person who is living in active celebration of their new life in Christ! It is the most powerful witness for the Christ that lives in you!
Paul begins this passage in Colossians with an attitude of rejoicing as he has had the call to suffer for the sake of the Body of Christ. Paul's passion for the Word of God's and its treasure in the salvation message drove him to make sacrifices for those he had not even met. The work of the Kingdom is not finished until all have heard the message that has been carried by so many before us. Let us struggle together toward that end as saints of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray,
Lord you have loved us beyond our wildest imaginations in the hope of Glory that has come in our salvation and our ultimate home in your eternal kingdom. Let us be people who never let the love you have given to us slip from our day-to-day walk of faith. For no matter what happens to us in the trials of this life we are yours forever. Help us to live as saints that live into that knowledge with no fear of what may come because we are secure in you. Amen.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church |