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Let us pray. Father, we thank 
You for the Holy Scripture and we thank You for the letters 
of Paul and for their instruction to the churches of Christ. We 
pray as a church that You would fill us with all understanding, 
that You would give us that knowledge that Paul prays for and Paul 
calls churches to have, and give us forgiveness for all of our 
sin and for falling so short of Your glory. God, we thank 
You that there is mercy in You Thank You, God, that there is 
grace. And thank You that there is the Holy Spirit who guides 
us and who leads us and who chastens us and who encourages us. And 
we pray for that ministry even now. And we ask through Christ 
Jesus our Lord. Amen. Now, the battle for the 
heart is ultimately waged by words. Words are the means by 
which sound doctrine is imparted. But words are also the means 
by which heresy and false teaching and departures from sound doctrine 
are also imparted. And in this particular section, 
Paul now begins to address specifically a problem that was arising in 
the church in Colossae. He says in verse 4 of chapter 
2, Now this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive 
words. We need to understand the power 
of words. We need to understand ideas have 
consequences. And what we give our attention 
to, what we give our mind to, what we give our study to, will 
affect us with reference to our God. It will affect our standing 
before Him and it will affect our practice in terms of the 
Word of God. Now just to see something of 
the structure in this epistle up to this point. As I said, 
verses 1 to 5 are closely related to verses 24 to 29. They are 
an expansion or an explanation or an illustration of Paul's 
ministry on behalf of the Christians in Colossae. Notice in verse 
29, he says, to this end I also labor. And he says, striving 
according to his working which works in me mightily. That word 
striving is the word agonizing. Or we might say struggling. Well, 
in chapter 2 at verse 1, when he says, I want you to know what 
a great conflict. He's saying the same thing. What 
a great struggle. What great agony I have. So this 
is a concrete illustration of Paul's striving ministry in terms 
of the audience that he is writing to. In chapter 2, I'm sorry, 
in chapter 2, verses 1 to 5, we have, as it were, the close 
of the introductory section of the epistle. It's a long introduction, 
but nevertheless, that does all serve as introduction to the 
body. The body is from 2.6 on to 4.6. 2.6, there is a command given, 
so walk in Him. And that forms the basis of the 
letter. There have been many commands 
that follow in chapter 2 and 3 up to verse 6 in chapter 4. So that's something of the structure. And if in chapter 1, 24 to 29 
we saw Paul's sufferings, stewardship and preaching with reference 
to his ministry, here in this section we see his conflict and 
his concern for the disciples to whom he ministers. And that's 
how we'll take up our exposition this morning. First is Paul's 
conflict over them, verses 1 to 3. And secondly will be Paul's 
concern for them in verses 4 and 5. But we notice in Paul's conflict, 
the nature of it. Again, a concrete illustration, 
a concrete example. We asked him, what do you mean, 
Paul, you strive according to His working which works in me 
mightily? Well, he answers by saying, I 
want you to know what a great striving or what a great struggle 
I have. And primarily the struggle is 
one in prayer. Remember, he's in a prison. He's 
not present with them. In fact, He's going to say that's 
one of the reasons He's writing to them. Though I am absent in 
the flesh, I am present with you in the Spirit. We need to 
understand the nature of His struggle is primarily one at 
the throne of grace. And I would ask you, before we 
even begin to look at Paul, do you know what it is to struggle 
in prayer? To have conflict in prayer? To suffer agony in prayer? See, sound doctrine and the truth 
of Christ mattered so much to the Apostle Paul that when churches 
were in danger of falling prey to false teaching, Paul went 
to his knees, he went to his face, and he went before the 
throne of God and he struggled on behalf of those who were affected 
by false teaching. One lexicon says struggle. The 
picture is that of an athletic contest which is strenuous and 
demanding. This is the kind of importunate 
prayer that Jesus spoke of in Luke 18. He gave a parable of 
a woman who was not content to let an unjust judge not render 
a verdict pleasing to her. So she was persistent. She kept 
on at it. And Jesus says, learn a lesson 
here. If this unjust judge who doesn't 
fear God answers this widow, shall not God avenge His own 
elect who cry to Him day and night? As I was going through 
this passage, I couldn't escape a particular implication that 
the prevalence of bad theology in our day The prevalence of 
bad doctrine, the prevalence of heresy, and the prevalence 
of just so little knowledge of truth in the churches of Christ 
is probably owing to some degree that there is a lack of strugglers 
at the throne of grace. That when we go to pray, God's 
name, God's kingdom, and God's will is not the most important 
things to us. that when we go to pray, our 
name, our kingdom, and our will is most important to us. If we 
genuinely took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 
if we genuinely desired the truth of God to permeate not only the 
world, but our churches that exhibit almost a biblical illiteracy, 
we would be struggling at the throne of grace on behalf of 
this situation. This man goes on to say, the 
struggle here is not the struggle against God, but the intense 
effort of the one praying as he struggles within himself and 
against those who oppose the gospel. You want to do something 
to oppose the Benny Hins of our day? Pray. You want to do something 
to oppose those charlatans and those heretics that go up in 
the name of Jesus and lead multitudes astray? Go to pray! Agonize! Strive! Struggle! Go to the throne 
of grace and let your requests be made known to God. F.F. Bruce says, the conflict is waged 
in the spiritual realm. The opposition is the false teaching 
to which the churches of the Lycus Valley are exposed. Paul struggled. Paul had a great 
conflict. Not only did he suffer, not only 
did he have a stewardship, not only did he preach, but he had 
a conflict in his spiritual life because of the prevalence of 
error and heresy. And I submit, if that prevalence 
of error and heresy threatening those churches in the Lycos Valley 
promoted some distress to the Apostle, certainly, certainly 
the internet and the Christian evangelical world and the charismatic 
movement and all of the various things that threaten biblical 
orthodoxy in our day will promote prayer on the part of His people. Sometimes it saddens me that 
we can't pray for 45 minutes as a church. We have to end a 
prayer meeting early. There's no reflection on the 
brethren that are there whatsoever. We can't sustain 45 minutes for 
prayer? In our generation? When there's 
so many threats against biblical orthodoxy? When abortion numbers 
are off the charts? The sodomites are getting civil 
rights, and divorce rates, and family, and all those things 
are under constant attack. We, as the Free Grace Baptist 
Church, can't sustain a 45 minute prayer meeting. We have forgotten Paul's admonition 
to Timothy. First of all, I exhort that prayers, 
supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made 
for all men. Our church is going to advance 
solely by the grace of God and through the power of prayer. If we value our church, we will 
value those means that He has given to prosper this church. Paul's struggle The spiritual 
health of Christians in churches greatly affected the Apostle 
Paul. Heresy was such an affront to 
the Gospel that the Apostle met it and struggled against it in 
prayer. Notice its beneficiaries, his 
conflict. We've seen its nature. We notice 
its beneficiaries. You, he says, verse 1. I want 
you to know what a great conflict I have for you. Who's you? Well, 
it's the Colossian church. We know that from verse 2. of 
chapter 1, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who 
are in Colossae. But it wasn't only the Colossians, 
but those in Laodicea. Remember the Lycus Valley? There 
was Colossae, there was Laodicea, there was Keropolis as well. 
Probably churches founded through the preaching of Epaphras, the 
man mentioned already in chapter 1. Paul is at the school of Tyrannus 
when he is in Ephesus. He spends several months, a year 
or two years there, preaching the Word so that all Asia, Asia 
Minor, heard the Word of the Lord. Epaphras probably came 
to the school of Tyrannus. He gets converted. He goes back 
to his home in the Lycus Valley. And through his effort, through 
his prayer, through his proclamation, through his faithful witness, 
we see these churches established. And Paul is concerned for that. 
So it's the church in Colossae, the church in Laodicea, and then 
he says, "...and for as many as have not seen my face in the 
flesh." We need to understand the implication here. Paul is 
agonizing in prayer for people he has never met in his life. That's amazing. Is that us? I sometimes feel like we live 
in the generation of the unholy trinity, when me, myself, and 
I is about all we think about. Now, I'm not suggesting that 
it was much better at the time that Paul lived. There's nothing 
new under the sun. There's always been sin. Sinners 
have always been contending with God for supremacy. But this is 
the me generation. I wonder how many of us pray 
for those who we've never met, we've never seen, and probably 
will never see. Well, that's what characterized 
Paul. Paul agonizes in prayer for those Christians who are 
personally unknown to him and yet spiritually dear to him. Adopt some place on the map and 
start to learn about what they go through for the cause of Christ. 
and make it a part of your prayer life to bring them before the 
Lord God. A place like Gambia, a place 
like Maldives, big places like North Korea or Saudi Arabia, 
places that are very opposed to the Christian gospel. My encouragement 
to you is to find a place on the map, learn about that place, 
and start to pray for them as an expression of Pauline prayer. This is what characterized this 
particular brother. We notice thirdly, with reference 
to his conflict over them, its objectives. Why was he conflicted? Why was he agonizing? Why was 
he striving? Because he had four things in 
mind. He had four objectives for them 
as the church. The first is that they would 
be encouraged in heart. Verse 2, that their hearts may 
be encouraged. The old King James has comfort. The idea is not here that they 
needed some feel good. They didn't just need the comfort 
of a big pillow. They needed strengthening. They 
needed encouraging so that they would not depart from biblical 
orthodoxy. So that they would not turn back 
from the truth of Jesus Christ. Heart, biblically speaking, is 
not confined to emotions or feelings. Heart, very often in the Scripture, 
is used synonymously with the mind. Douglas Mook defines it 
this way, or says it this way, references to the heart in the 
Bible require English speakers to distance themselves from their 
own culture. For the strong tendency in modern 
English is to use heart with reference to the emotions. Whereas 
in Scripture, heart designates the center of the personality, 
the source of willing and thinking in addition to feeling. Hence, 
it is a new heart that God promises in order to transform His people's 
basic orientation toward Himself. I will give them a new heart, 
He promises in Ezekiel 36. It is the inner man. It is the 
seat of thinking, of willing, of emoting. The heart is comprehensive. It's not just that area of your 
feelings. Paul doesn't want them just to 
feel good. Paul wants them strengthened. 
He wants them encouraged so that they're able to stand fast against 
the encroaching heresy that is affecting the Lycus Valley. You see what he is doing. He 
wants them to pull together and to be strong. And that brings 
up the next point. He wants them to be united in 
love. What does that have to do with anything? He says that 
their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love. While it is good in Sunday school 
to sing about Daniel and daring to stand alone, the Bible sees 
that we are to be in community. Individualism is not God's norm. It's not God's means by which 
we grow and we are strong and we are helped along to heaven. 
Jesus died for sinners and brought them into churches, imperfect 
as they are. filled with blemishes and warts 
and character flaws as they are, Jesus has established churches 
for the safety of His people. You see, heretics are like predators. Heretics are like the cheetah 
or the leopard who sees a herd of prey animals and waits till 
one strays from the flock. waits till the baby wanders away 
from its mother. Why? Because when that one is 
on its own, it is far more susceptible to attack. It's that way with 
the church. I don't think we fully appreciate 
that. I don't think we fully understand 
how important my contribution to the church is. Not my, Jim 
Butler, but your contribution to the church is. There is safety 
and there is strength among the people of God. Paul says, I want 
your hearts to be encouraged and strengthened. I want you 
to be united in love. I want you to stand together. 
I want you to be strong together. The predators will seek the one 
and will affect them and will give them false teaching with 
the hope and the view of that one going back into the herd 
and then beginning to disseminate the heresy among the whole herd. That's generally the way it happens 
in the church. I love what John Gill said, As love is the bond 
of union between God and His people, Christ and His members, 
so between saints and saints. It is the cement that joins and 
keeps them together, and which edifies and builds them up, and 
whereby they increase with the increase of God. It makes them 
to be of one heart and one soul. It renders their communion with 
one another comfortable and delightful. And strengthens them against 
the common enemy who is for dividing and so destroying. You see, one 
of the marks of heresy is confusion. It's division. Paul says, I want 
you to be united in love. I want you to band together. 
I want you to join arm in arm. I know what these false teachers 
are like. I know how they operate. I know how they seek to prey 
on the weak, on the isolated. You need to grab everyone and 
you need to hold on and you need to withstand because they're 
coming. He mentions a third thing. He 
says, I want you to have an assurance of understanding, attaining to 
all riches of the full assurance of understanding. Paul wants 
Christians, funny enough, growing in their understanding of truth. 
Boy, Paul, don't you know Christians today are busy? I want them to 
grow in their understanding. Don't you know they have several 
demands on their time? I want them to carve out time 
to understand more of God. Don't you realize the kinds of 
things that happen? You need to grow in your understanding. 
You need to have that full assurance of the understanding. You need 
to grow in theology. You need to appreciate truth. 
You need to take in more of Holy Scripture with a peculiar interest, 
fourthly, on the knowledge of God's mystery. Paul wants Christians 
growing in their understanding of spiritual truth, and with 
a specific view to understanding the mystery. The mystery, again, 
is something that at one time was hidden, but has now been 
revealed. Paul defines that mystery for 
us in chapter 1, verses 26 and 27, which is Christ in you, the 
hope of glory. So Paul says, I want you to understand 
the truth as it specifically hones in on the person and work 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to give yourself to 
the study of God. He's already prayed that for 
them in chapter 1. Notice in chapter 1 at verse 
9. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease 
to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge 
of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Why? That you may walk worthy of the 
Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, 
and increasing in the knowledge of God." Boy, Paul is stubborn, 
isn't he? He not only prays it, but He's 
going to actually say, this is one of the objectives for my 
gospel ministry, is that you churches in the Lycus Valley 
will grow in your understanding, will know more of the mystery 
of God. Why? Because your soul is at 
stake. He's not just saying this. You 
know, there's some knowledge out there that's very helpful, 
very profitable. Kids, listen. You should pay 
attention in school. You should learn about mathematics. 
You should learn about the sciences. You should learn English. You 
should learn all those things, because there is promise of benefit. What's the promise of benefit? 
You graduate high school, you may go on to university, and 
you'll find yourself in a good career, a good job. You'll be 
able to make money, which isn't a sin, as long as you don't worship 
it. but you'll be able to make money and provide for your wife 
and have children and be able to carry on as a Christian man 
or woman in the world that God has placed you. There is profit 
to that knowledge, but not like this knowledge. 
You see, what causes Paul agony What causes Paul's struggle, 
what causes Paul's striving, is that if Christians in the 
Lycus Valley, or Christians in Chilliwack, or the Fraser Valley, 
depart from the truth as it is in Jesus, it's not a matter of 
them not getting good jobs, it's a matter of them going to hell. 
It's a matter of them suffering the wrath and condemnation of 
God for all eternity. It's a matter of them bringing 
dishonor and shame to the name of Christ. It is a matter of 
them, perhaps, pulling others down around them. You see, everything 
matters about this acquisition of knowledge, this growth in 
understanding, this understanding of the knowledge of God in Christ. Everything depends on this. That's 
why He agonizes. It's nature, it's beneficiaries, 
it's objectives, and fourthly and finally, with reference to 
His conflict, it's remedy. Notice in verse 3, "...in whom," 
points us back to Christ at the end of verse 2, "...in whom, 
in Christ, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 
Christ is the sum and substance of the mystery, and He is their 
source of strength and safety." You want to be safe? No Christ. You want to be strong? No Christ. 
You want to be on guard against those who try to tell you persuasive 
words to take your soul to hell? No Christ. The very passage presupposes 
the existence of those who will come with persuasive words trying 
to deceive you. I mean, what kind of a sick puppy 
does that? It's not enough for them to imbibe false doctrine 
and go off to hell on their own. They want to grab as many people 
as possible? Paul says such sick puppies actually 
exist. They're not puppies. Puppies 
wouldn't do that. It's hard to compare men to animals because 
men sin willfully against God. Animals don't. They do what they're 
supposed to do. Paul says in Galatians 1, there 
are some who want to distort the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul 
says to the Galatians, I marvel that you're so quickly turning 
from him who called you to another gospel, which is not another. 
But there are those who want to distort, want to disturb, 
want to pervert that gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul says to have 
a full assurance of understanding and to know the mystery is to 
be consumed with Jesus Christ. Douglas Moo again with reference 
to this verse, verse 3, in whom are hidden all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge. He says it does not match the 
hymn of chapter 1, verses 15 to 20 for exalted language in 
reference to Christ, but it expresses beautifully and compactly the 
cutting edge Christological point that is Paul's driving concern. Christ is the one in whom is 
to be found all that one needs in order to understand spiritual 
reality and to lead a life pleasing to God. Isn't it something about 
us that we always want more? In many respects, we are like 
the leech in that regard. The Bible actually compares us 
to animals on occasion. He says, the leech has two daughters. Give and give. It's never enough 
for the leech. They want more. John Calvin said 
that at times Christians are not content with the simplicity 
of the gospel and aspire to higher things. I couldn't amen the Geneva Reformer 
more. We need to master one subject. It's Jesus. We need to be consumed 
with the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge. Paul is saying a mouthful if 
you understand the Bible. Who is the source of wisdom and 
knowledge according to Hannah in 1 Samuel 2? The Lord God. Who does the Psalter continually 
attribute all wisdom and knowledge to? But the Lord God. Who does the prophet Isaiah say 
that all knowledge and wisdom is in? The Lord God. What is Paul saying to us in 
this verse? That Jesus is the Lord God. He is the One in whom are hidden 
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So, you need to be 
about Christ. You need to study Christ. You 
need to learn about Jesus. You need to read His Word. You 
need to pray. You need to follow Him. You need 
to be so absorbed with Christ that you are then safe from the 
invaders. That you are safe from those 
who would attack you. That you are safe from those 
who would try to wreak havoc on your soul. This is what Paul 
is saying. If the heretics in Colossae were 
teaching knowledge gained by means other than Christ, Paul's 
corrective is most powerful. There is not another road to 
gain this wisdom and knowledge. You know, some speculate that 
the heretics were teaching an early form of what's called Gnosticism. And basically Gnosticism is a 
claim, sort of a direct line to God, where He tells you things, 
or where He's made you aware of certain truths that aren't 
available to everyone else. Paul says, hogwash, garbage. It's wrong. God, in His kindness 
and in His grace, has revealed Himself through the prophets. through His Son, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, through the apostles. And our blessed privilege is 
to study His Word, to strengthen our hearts, to stand fast, to 
stand firm, to not give an inch. The language of that former Prime 
Minister, never give up, never give up, never give up. That's 
what Paul envisions for Christians. And the way that we do it is 
through our knowledge of Jesus Christ. And then notice by way 
of a second broad category, Paul's concern for them in verses 4 
and 5. It's a bit of a transitional passage as Paul moves from setting 
Christ before them in all of his glory to talking about his 
own ministry on their behalf. Now he's going to address the 
issue head-on, which he will do in a sustained manner throughout 
chapter 2. He will caution them. He will 
call them to beware. And here he says, I say this, 
or now this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive 
words. He faces the threat of the Colossian 
heresy head on. He wants the believers to resist 
the temptation for something more. I'm going to tell you, 
if you have Christ, you have it all. That's what Paul is going 
to tell you in verse 10. And you are complete in Him. Christ isn't like food today, 
where, you know, our diet is so woefully deficient, we take 
supplements, right? Well, most of us probably don't 
eat enough fish, so they've got fish pills. That's an interesting 
procedure. I don't even like to mentally 
envision it. How they get fish oil into a 
fish pill is an amazing process in my mind. I got this view that 
they're squeezing on a salmon and sort of funneling it down 
into these little capsules and putting them together and putting 
them in a bottle and selling this as a supplement because 
you're deficient in your omega-3 fatty acids. So you buy this 
bottle of pills in order to supplement your woefully deficient diet. Christianity is not a... it doesn't 
need supplementation. This was what was going on in 
the Lycus Valley. You had guys coming along saying, 
Jesus is good, but in order to have so much more, take our pill. Swallow our capsule. Come to 
our conference. Listen to our doctrine. Paul says, I'm scared. I'm agonizing. I don't want you 
people to fall for persuasive words. I don't want you to be 
led astray. I don't want your ears to be 
tickled and you give in to it. If it isn't consistent with Holy 
Scripture, reject it. Don't play games with it. What 
you think is fish oil supplementing your diet could be arsenic, could 
be cyanide, could be something that is going to sink you into 
a coma. Paul says, I'm concerned for 
you. Again, Doug Moon, I think he hits the nail on the head. 
He says, paying too much attention to fine-sounding arguments can 
deceive us about religious and spiritual truth. Oh, but you should hear him. 
He's really good. Is he speaking the truth? How 
do we measure a man's ministry? By how it sounds? Or by the sum 
and substance of the content? Is it biblical? Sixteen ounces 
to the pound exposition of Holy Writ. That's the mark of a man's 
ministry. Not fine-sounding arguments. 
Do you know how many people have been led off the narrow path 
by fine-sounding arguments, by persuasive words, by competitors 
selling their wares, saying you could have so much more? You 
know what? God orchestrated a simple approach 
to salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Join a church and grow in the 
grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no razzmatazz 
here. There really isn't. There's no 
sensationalism in the pages of Holy Scripture. The last letters 
of Paul are what's called the pastoral epistles, 1st and 2nd 
Timothy and Titus. You know what Paul's main emphasis 
throughout those epistles are? Sound doctrine. In fact, Paul's swan song command 
is this, preach the word. Paul, what have you learned as 
you're about to die and go the way of all flesh and join your 
Savior in heaven? This one thing I've learned. 
Timothy, preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of 
season. The way you are to preach the 
Word, Timothy, is this way. Convince, rebuke, exhort. And I want you to do it with 
all longsuffering because sometimes God's people Don't immediately 
respond. Not only with all long-suffering, 
but with teaching. You see, biblical preaching is 
to instruct the hearers in the truth of God. And as one of the 
primary reasons, Timothy, why I'm leaving you this charge, 
because the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 
That passage baffles me even more than putting salmon oil 
into a capsule. Paul's antidote to a church that 
does not want sound doctrine is the proclamation of sound 
doctrine. Did you get that? So if Timothy 
would have got on the phone or on the email, if it would have 
been available back then, he said, Paul, guess what? The church I'm ministering 
in, they don't want sound doctrine. What do I do? Probably thinking, 
Paul would say, well, put Sound Doctrine on the back burner. 
Bring in some puppets. Bring in some ponies. Have some 
trapeze artists, some high wire. You know, have all the jugglers. 
Have all the razzmatazz. And you know, for that season 
when they won't endure Sound Doctrine, maybe this will be 
another means to salve their consciences and to help them. 
Paul writes back, preach Sound Doctrine. Oui. You're the apostle. Timothy goes back to church on 
Sunday, looks out at Ephesus. They're not enduring sound doctrine. 
He says, open your Bibles because I'm going to preach to you sound 
doctrine. That encourages me. That helps 
me. That helps me a lot. Paul does 
not want them to fall prey to persuasive words. Douglas Moos 
says, Paul has no doubt about the vital importance of spiritual 
truth, and he knows how perilously easy it is for believers to be 
led astray by high-flown rhetoric, or in our own day, by multimedia 
presentations. The antidote for such false teachings 
is the cogent proof of Christ's absolute supremacy and exclusivity. Persuasive words can take on 
many appearances. High-sounding rhetoric can look 
good for a time. But as we learn in the prophet 
Isaiah, to the law and to the testimony. They don't speak according 
to this. They are to be rejected. Paul says, I am absent in the 
flesh, yet I am with you in spirit. This is one of the reasons for 
his concern. You know if Paul was there, he'd be there. He'd 
be preaching. He'd be ministering. He'd be loving on them. But he's 
in a prison cell in Rome, many, many miles away. I'm absent from 
you in the flesh, but I'm present with you in the spirit. One man, 
Gordon Fee, says it should be a capital S slash small s spirit. Not just his personal spirit, 
like, you know, I feel for the struggles you're going with, 
you know, I'm with you in spirit. No, by virtue of the fact that 
he has been given this stewardship by God, that he is an apostle 
to the Gentiles, not only in his own personal spirit, but 
because he is in union with Christ, and they are in union with Christ, 
the Holy Spirit of God is at work binding them together. Paul 
has authority based on who he is. And he is exercising it now, 
calling them to reject the persuasive words of those who don't care 
one bit for them. Because you know, when all is 
said and done, that's the reality. Paul suffered for them. Paul 
counted himself a steward for them. Paul preached. Paul is 
concerned. Paul is conflicted. Paul's teachers 
don't care. They don't care. They're looking 
to build themselves up. They're looking to get money. 
They're looking to further their cause, whatever the case may 
be. Paul is the real deal, showing 
his concern, saying, I'm not with you physically, but that 
is not to imply I'm not there spiritually. I am there with 
you in the trenches. I am there with you in the battle. 
I am there with you. And this is the instruction that 
I give. I want you to be encouraged and 
resist these things. But, you know, we need to understand 
the state of the church there wasn't a lost cause. Don't you 
love that at the very end of verse 3? To see your good order 
and the steadfastness, or rejoicing to see your good order and the 
steadfastness of your faith in Christ. The church had started 
well. Colossians 1, 7 and 8. The church 
is going well, so it's not the past and it's not the present 
that Paul is concerned about, it's the future. One man has well said, this letter 
to the Colossians is a vaccination against potential heresy. It's 
not an antibiotic for those who've already been plagued. You see, 
as the church was small and as it was growing in influence and 
in power, people were saying, hey, we can make money off of 
this. People were saying, hey, we can infiltrate. These people 
are nice, they love, we can come in and we can lead them astray. 
Whether they were that brazen or not, at least their actions 
were. And so it was encroaching. It was a problem on the horizon. 
Paul takes pen to paper in order to give them this vaccination 
so that they don't fall prey to the false teaching. that is 
prevalent in the Lycus Valley. The Colossian Christians have 
started well. They are continuing well. It 
is the future that Paul is concerned about. Paul is a future-oriented 
minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he wants the church not only 
presently to fare well, but he wants them to fare well in the 
future as well. That's the thrust of the section. Verses 1 to 5 
go along with the exposition of his ministry in verses 24 
to 29 of chapter 1. And as we conclude our study, 
we learn a few lessons, and the first is the goal for gospel 
ministry. I don't think Paul wrote this 
saying, here's a picture of my gospel ministry so it would be 
a pattern for everyone else's, but it is. It really is. And based on chapter 1, 24, through 
chapter 2, verse 5, I believe we can summarize the goal of 
gospel ministry like this. If it is patterned after the 
Apostle Paul, it will be a suffering stewardship marked by preaching 
Christ that is engaged in with struggling prayer, which manifests 
itself in concern for the people of God and is marked by a willingness 
to confront error by setting forth the supremacy of Jesus 
Christ in the Gospel. If it is patterned after the 
Apostle Paul, it will be a suffering stewardship marked by preaching 
Christ that is engaged with struggling prayer, which manifests itself 
in concern for the people of God and is marked by a willingness 
to confront error by setting forth the supremacy of Jesus 
Christ in the Gospel. Based on that proposition, which 
I think is an accurate encapsulation of verses 24 to chapter 2, verse 
5, just about, in my estimation, every man standing in a pulpit 
right now ought to hand in his resignation. Because that is 
not the kind of ministry that is characteristic of our age. It is not characteristic of my 
ministry. And I want to repent before God 
and manifest something of the Apostle's concern. It is so easy 
to get sidetracked on everything except the main thing, Christ 
and Him crucified. struggling and agonizing in prayer, 
suffering for the cause of Christ? Is this true of gospel ministry 
today? Go on YouTube sometime and click in 
worship and watch what is going on in the name of so-called ministry. Shameful to look in your own 
heart and compare yourself to this man and say, man, fail, 
fail, fail, fail, and fail. That's tough. No self-esteem here this morning, 
baby. You're not going to go out feeling, 
ooh, goody. Paul's the real deal. You know 
why Paul's the real deal? Because he understood the real 
issues. It's not about what you want. 
It's not about what you crave. It's about what you need. And 
whether you believe it or not, you need more of Jesus. You may 
read Robert Murray McShane's Bible calendar each year. You 
need more Jesus. You may go to the church prayer 
meeting. You need more Jesus. You may be on your internet looking 
at gooddoctrine.com every single day. You need more Jesus. Because 
in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And 
there's a real devil out there who really roams about seeking 
whom he may devour. He has people like the scribes 
and the Pharisees that were the holy ones leading sinners to 
hell. Isn't that what Jesus says in 
his condemnation of them? You search long and hard to make 
proselytes What happens? You make them and you make them 
twice the son of hell as you are yourself. Paul understood 
the stakes. Paul understood that in Lycaeus 
Valley, the threat was not, well, you know, you won't be the most 
progressive church. The threat was, if you give in 
to persuasive words, you're going to go to hell for having rejected 
the glory of Jesus Christ the Lord. Paul sets the standard 
for gospel ministry. Paul highlights the goal for 
the church. You know why we exist? We exist for the glory of God. 
You know how we're to function? We're to be encouraged in heart. 
Strengthened, confirmed in heart. We need to be united in love. United. That means together. We need to grow an understanding 
of biblical and theological truth. Please don't ever tell me, I 
don't like theology. That is a betrayal of a Christian 
profession. Now, you may not like reading 
books written by theologians that you can't understand. Hey, 
fine. But to not like theology is to 
not like the study of God. Don't ever say that. We need 
to have an increasing knowledge of the Gospel and the resultant 
conformity to it. We've already seen that. That 
you may be filled in all wisdom, or the knowledge of His will 
in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Why? That you may walk worthy 
of the Lord. If you're not filled, if you 
don't know, if you are ignorant of biblical truth, you will not 
walk worthy of the Lord. We need to have good order. That's 
one of the things Paul rejoiced in over the churches of the Lycaeus 
Valley. He says in verse 5, "'Yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing 
to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in 
Christ.'" Good order in the church is in Lycaeus Valley. They're 
doing what they're supposed to. They're worshiping God. They're 
meeting together. They're encouraging one another. 
Paul sees this as a cause of rejoicing. This makes him happy. When the church is not a place 
where everything goes except through worship. Paul rejoiced 
to see good order. Paul rejoiced to see steadfastness 
of your faith in Christ. Perseverance. Endurance. The longer I live as a Christian, 
the more I labor as a pastor, that's the bottom line. Steadfast. 
Persevere. You want to boil down the Christian 
life? That's your word. Now, obviously, believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. But once you're saved, 
you know what your watchword is? Persevere. Be steadfast. Don't turn away. Don't reject. Don't depart from the narrow 
way. There's going to be a lot of competitors, a lot of solicitation, 
a lot of people saying, come with me. No, you just keep your 
head on the path ahead and you go forward. Don't stop. That's it. That's the bottom 
line. Press on. And Paul says, when I see that 
in your churches, I am joyful. The persuasive words present 
today, very similar to what Paul's going to address in his own letter 
here. What are some persuasive words or rhetoric or powerful 
argumentation that is offered today to try to solicit us into 
departing from the living Christ? Well, humanistic philosophy. 
Paul's going to address that. Paul is not condemning philosophy. When we get to that section, 
you have to know that. The word philosophy simply means 
the love of wisdom. Christians ought to be the most 
philosophers in the world. Because as we've seen in verse 
3, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ. 
It's not philosophy of the love of wisdom that Paul condemns. 
Does Solomon condemn philosophy in the book of Proverbs? No, 
he doesn't. What a love wisdom. What a buy 
wisdom. What a buy truth and sell it 
not. In fact, he mocks the man. Why is there in the hand of the 
fool the purchase price for wisdom, since he has no heart for it? 
Do you love that? The guy goes to the store and 
he finds wisdom and he's looking at the price. Solomon says, why 
is he doing that? He doesn't have a heart for it. Christians 
are to be true philosophers. Paul is not condemning philosophy. 
Paul is condemning humanistic philosophy. Philosophy that begins 
with man and ends with man. Humanistic philosophy. He goes 
on to speak against legalism. Wow, isn't that a persuasive 
word that we hear today. Do this, do that in order to 
be saved. It's good that you believe the 
gospel, but you also must come to our church. You must also 
do this. You must also go here. You must 
also engage in that. Legalism. Not Christ plus, Christ 
alone for salvation. Paul goes on to condemn mysticism. Mysticism, that direct line to 
God. Oh, well, that's not around today 
in our materialistic, mechanistic age. Oh, yes, it is. And it probably 
flourishes in the church. Just give me Jesus. Well, what 
Jesus? It's not the Jesus of Holy Scripture. 
Oh, Bible study, Bible schmuddy. Oh, doctrine divides. Oh, no, 
no. If you don't study doctrine, 
how can you be sure that Jesus, whom you serve, is Jesus Christ, 
who is the Lord of all? Asceticism. Asceticism basically 
means avoid this, avoid that, and everything will be fine. 
Just don't do this, don't do this, don't touch that, don't 
go here, don't there. You'll be fine. Paul says that's a doctrine of 
demons, 1 Timothy 4. I don't know, any Roman Catholic 
could read 1 Timothy 4 and not be afraid. Forbidding to marry 
and forbidding to eat certain foods that God created to be 
enjoyed with thankfulness? I mean, the text highlights that 
it's a doctrine of demons to forbid marriage. It's asceticism. It is to say that God's physical 
creation is bad. when God Himself has never said 
that. The problem is not our nature, it's our sin. God is not at war with our creatureliness, 
He's at war with our sinfulness. And asceticism has the appearance 
of self-imposed humility, but it doesn't answer on the day 
of judgment. And then antinomianism. Antinomianism simply says, you 
don't need to obey. Oh, come on. That's one of those 
old antiquated reformed concepts. You're just freeing Jesus to 
do whatever you want. Garden variety antinomianism. Paul is going to speak in terms 
of do this, do this, do this, do this, do this. You have received 
Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him. What does it mean, or 
what does it look like to walk in Him? You're going to love 
each other. You're going to be kind to one another. You're not 
going to hold grudges. You're going to forgive one another. 
A lot of do's in the Christian life. Those are some of the persuasive 
words that this very epistle is going to counter, and they're 
the same types of persuasive words that are present today 
that prey on our spiritual life. We need to beware. And brethren, 
we need to end with a fresh view of the glory of Jesus, the one 
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Paul 
has said so many great things about Christ up to this point, 
and he'll continue to be sure. It doesn't just end there. But 
our Jesus is glorious. Do you see the Christ whom Paul 
has set before, the Colossians? This One who is the image of 
the invisible God, this One who made all things, this One in 
whom all things consist, this One who is reconciling the world 
to Himself by His own blood-shedding, This Christ is the One in whom 
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If you 
are here this morning and you don't know Christ, if when we 
get to verse 6 and it says, as you therefore have received Christ 
Jesus the Lord, if you've not received Him, the way to do it 
is simple. Believe. Believe. Believe the Gospel. Believe the 
truth. Believe that Jesus is who the 
Bible says He is. that Jesus lived a perfect and 
obedient life to His Father, that Jesus died as a substitute 
and as a sacrifice at Calvary, and that Jesus rose again. The 
Bible says, Believe on Him and you shall be saved. There was 
a time when God was angry with Israel, and He sent a bunch of 
serpents to bite people. You say, that's kind of odd. 
Well, God is God, and He does things that are sometimes out 
of our understanding. He sends judgments. He sends 
chastisements. And in that particular instance, 
these serpents are biting people. And there was instruction given 
to make a bronze serpent, to erect it in the wilderness, to 
put it up. And whoever would look to that serpent would be 
delivered. That's God's way. By grace through 
faith. You looked and you lived. You 
looked and you lived. Right here, right now, Chilliwack, 
21st century, cold out, cold day. It's cold in your heart 
if you're not a believer. It's cold between you and heaven 
if you're not in Christ. You know where to bring warmth? 
You know where to bring healing? It's by looking and living. Look 
to me and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth. Not 
me, Jim Butler, quoting Isaiah 45. Look to me and be ye saved, 
all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. You believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. That's the promise of God's Gospel. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You so very much for Your grace and Your mercy as 
displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You that in Him are 
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, that He is the 
Creator and the Governor He is the ruler of the universe and 
He is the Redeemer of your elect. We just pray, Lord God in heaven, 
that each and every one of us here today would be looking to 
Christ with no everlasting life and that You would guard us against 
falling prey to persuasive words. We thank You and we love You 
and we praise You for Your kindness. And may ministers today be like 
Paul. And may churches today be like 
what Paul says in this passage they ought to be. And we ask 
now that you would go with each one of us and we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.