Series in Colossians - Condending for the Faithful

 

Contending for the Faithful

Col. 2:1-5

Have you ever contended so hard for someone or something that you have given it everything, and you had to wait to see the results. Whether it be for someone you dearly love and haven’t seen for a long time because of a prolonged illness, or an exam that will clear the way to a long awaited vocation. 

The new churches were in an intense battle for which Paul waged against unclean forces and he would never see those believers in Colossae and Laodecia because of his imprisonment in Rome. Yet their lives were impressed on his heart and mind. He would contend in prayer for their souls and maturity, and he knew that the demonic inspired wolves with fine sounding deception were also stalking them. So let’s read the first portion of the text, “I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Paul was in a position to which he wouldn’t be able to have the freedom to travel and meet the believers in person, ever. He knew that contending in prayer with the others around him in Rome would be the only venue of warfare for the new churches.

He had a god-given goal to encourage the believers in their new faith and for those who were maturing to come alongside in love and unity in Christ so that all will grow to maturity, as Paul had written to the church Ephesus as well. “...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”(Eph. 4:13-14 NIV) For it was their lack of understanding of the mystery of God in Christ that Paul knew they needed most, not from human reasoning or philosophical logic, but by the revealing from the Holy Scriptures by the Holy Spirit. 

Paul had the revelation of the holy scriptures as well as his personal revelation of Jesus. He wanted them to know the blessedness and the riches of knowing Christ as the Son of God. For it is in knowing Christ they will know God the Father. This was the mystery of God, he was in Christ. 

Application - As a person intercedes, we pray for those who are not saved or in need of understanding, and that they will seek God first through His Word and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For it is through the Holy Spirit who is God, and who knows the will and the mind of God. “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Cor. 2:11-12) And in whom God sent to every believer in order to know the mind and heart of God. “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Rom. 8:27 NIV)

It is through this intercession for all believers to grow in the understanding of the mystery of God, which is Christ Jesus. It should be our goal as well to encourage one another in heart to know God the Father through the Son. “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) The full riches of complete knowledge will not be complete until we see Christ face to face, but God has given us His Spirit and the Holy Scriptures to reveal to us these spiritual riches today, if only we would seek him as Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV) 

And again we are to be united in love, for our God and for one another as Jesus commanded. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (Mark 12:30-31; John 13:34 NIV)

It is interesting that we can’t have the full riches of understanding without love for the Father, Christ and for one another. When we truly love it is then that we can comprehend the mystery of God in Christ. He will reveal the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ that have eluded us because we have not loved as God commanded.

So today, let us humble ourselves, pray, love, and intercede for one another that we too can understand the fullness of knowing God in Christ.

Last, Paul now contends with those who came in with deception, as Jesus had said, “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matt: 24:4)  So let us read the last portion of the scripture, “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.” (NIV)

For Paul had already contended in other countries with those who through human reasoning and demonic inspired philosophies and their fine sounding arguments over the deity of Christ, for it was too this purpose that Paul was sent to the gentiles to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good news to the world, so they would believe in Him. The mystery of God came in the person of Jesus the Christ. 

Again, Paul couldn’t come in person, but he was there in spirit, and he would continue to intercede and contend against the spiritual powers that were deceiving the people. (Eph. 6:10-18) For Paul also asked for others to intercede for him so that he too could understand and reveal the truth found in the mystery of God in Christ Jesus clearly. “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:19-20; Col 4:2-4)

Paul's heart's desire and delight was to hear or see that the believers were living disciplined lives, striving to learn more and applying it to every part of their lives. In this their lives and faith would be built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, the solid rock.

Application - The enemy of God will never stop trying to keep the gospel, the mystery of God in Christ, the message of salvation and hope from being spoken into the world today, his best assailment is to infiltrate the church with errant teaching to deceive. It is for this reason that believers today need sound doctrinal teaching from the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. The best way to spot the errant is to know and understand the original. Just as bank tellers have been trained on knowing the true denomination of currency so that they can spot the counterfeit. We study in groups to encourage each other and to hold each other accountable to the truth of the Bible. But even if you are studying alone, stay firmly planted to solid doctrinal teaching of the Bible, letting the Bible speak for itself and not adding thoughts and words of human reasoning to allegorize the scripture with faulty spiritual interpretation. For this is why God gave us his written Word and the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures, so that we have the absolute truth in our hands and so that when we hear or read the errant we will know that it is faulty and not of God. 

Second, never cease in praying for others and asking for others to pray for you as well. Even Paul asked for others to pray for him, especially protection from deception and spiritual attacks that will keep him from proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, the hidden treasures in the mystery of God in Christ Jesus.   

Last, let us live disciplined lives in the Spirit and in our faith that we may be mature in our walk and in our understanding of God who was revealed through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we have a firm faith built on the rock of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com