Sermon Tone Analysis

Several of us men are about to depart for a week of fishing in Canada.

I can’t wait!

Yes the food is good, and the fellowship is excellent, and the preaching is impactful, but it’s the fishing that really causes me to drive hundreds of miles into Ontario.

We have really started to figure out what lures work well.

It took us a year or two, but we really have a good idea of what works.

So guess what lures I will be fishing with when we get there?

The one’s that work.

It would be foolish to say, “Well, these lures are what has always caught me fish.

Instead of using them I think I will try Quarter-pounder with cheese.”

That would be foolish.

Just as you have caught fish in the past, so continue in the same way to catch fish.

This is the problem that is facing the Colossian church.

They have received Christ through dependent faith in Christ alone.

But now there is a heresy that they needed something else to grow spiritually.

Paul says to them just as you have received Christ- with dependent faith- so continue to walk in Him.

Friends, sometimes we can be deceived into seeking to become spiritually mature through another means other than dependent faith in Christ.

Thus far in the book of Colossians Paul has thanked God for the evident salvation of these Colossian believers as displayed by their Christlike love.

Paul has offered up a prayer to God for these believers that they would be filled with knowledge in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that they might grow unto the full measure of spiritual maturity.

Paul has magnified Christ proclaiming Him to be supreme over all creation- all things are in Him, and through Him, and for Him.

Christ is also supreme over all the church- that Christ, in all things He might come to have first place.

Christ the preeminent one- in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

And we love Him because He has made peace for us by the blood of His cross.

Paul then gave his motivation for why he was a disciple maker.

Paul suffered, he toiled, he strived (agonized) for the sake of the gospel- why?

To fill up what was left behind, to take his part in the sufferings of Christ- in order to see disciples being made.

And to fulfill the word of God- to bring the grand plan of God- the mystery of the gospel which is Christ in you the hope of glory- to be part of this plan- to bring it to completion- to fill it up.

So that He might present everyone mature in Christ.

In Paul gives his specific reasons for why he is writing specifically to the Colossians.

Θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι ἡλίκον ἀγῶνα ἔχω ⸀

For I want you to know what great struggle (agony) I have

ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν

concerning you

καὶ τῶν ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ* ⸆

and those in Laodicea

καὶ ὅσοι οὐχ ἑόρακαν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐν σαρκί,*

and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

Paul wishes for these believers to know the great conflict that he has, the agony (same word as above) that he has for the saints in Colossians, and in Laodicea, and for those that have never seen Paul face to face.

Yes I agonize to make disciples, but here is why I specifically agonize for you...

2 ἵνα παρακληθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν ⸀

In order that their hearts might be encouraged (pass)

συμβιβασθέντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ °

being knit together (c.f.

, ) in love

καὶ εἰς ⸂πᾶν πλοῦτος⸃ τῆς πληροφορίας τῆς συνέσεως,

and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding

εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ μυστηρίου ⸄τοῦ θεοῦ,*

unto the knowledge of the mystery of God

Χριστοῦ⸅,

(which is) Christ

Purpose #1- That their hearts might be encouraged

That, or in order that (I agonize for this purpose), that your hearts might be comforted or encouraged.

In what way will these believer's hearts be encouraged?

That they might be knit together in love.

As the human body is literally held together by sinews, ligaments, and joints- so Paul wishes that his letter would so encourage these believers in their love for Christ and as a result their love for each other, that their love might bind them together- hold them together in Christ.

2. The second way Paul wishes these believers to be encouraged is by reaching all the riches of the full assurance of understanding unto the knowledge of the mystery of God- which is Christ.

Paul has just talked about the mystery of the gospel back in Ch. 1.

Col 1

The mystery, that which was hidden in the OT but now is revealed in the NT, is Christ among the Gentiles- Christ in you, Paul says, the hope of glory.

This is new, and one of Paul’s purposes in writing the letter was to encourage the hearts of these believers by helping them come to a full assurance of understanding of this mystery.

There were some saying that you needed more than Christ in order to be spiritual.

Paul wants them to know that is not true- he wants them to know the riches of the full assurance of understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God.

You don’t need anything outside of Christ- v. 3

In Christ are hidden ALL of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

You need nothing else.

There is nothing outside of Christ that can make you a spiritually elite Christian.

The riches and the treasures of knowledge wisdom and understanding are found IN Christ.

Purpose #2- That they might not be deluded

4 Τοῦτο ⸆ λέγω,*

This I say

ἵνα ⸀μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς παραλογίζηται ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ.*

in order that no one might delude you with the art of persuasion

Paul- I say this,

So that, in order that no one may beguile you, deceive you, delude you- with enticing words, that is persuasive speech or the art of persuasion.

My kids are good at this… if they want something (play a game or watch a movie) they know how to persuade dad.

There is an art to it.

First, they clean the whole house including their rooms, then they get ready for bed (jammies, brush teeth)- then they come to me, quietly (because I do not like noise) and they say, “Dad we cleaned the whole house, and we did all our chores, and we are all ready for bed, and we were wondering if you could find it in your heart to let us play a game for the last 30 min before we will cheerfully and quickly go to bed?” The art of persuasion.

Apparently, there were some who were gifted at deceiving people, they had the gift of the art of persuasion (by the way Satan is the master deceiver), and one of Paul’s purposes was to so throughly exalt Christ and demonstrate his supremacy in all things related to the gospel, so as to completely do away with deceptive and persuasive speech.

Paul’s ultimate goal then is seen in v. 5

Paul, even though he cannot be with them in person, in his spirit, he is rejoicing at their good order, and the steadfastness of their faith IN Christ- and he wants to keep it that way.

In the remaining verses of this section vv.

6-15 Paul commands these believers to walk in Christ because spiritual maturity is only possible in Christ.

Believers, you also must determine to walk in Christ because our only hope for spiritual maturity is found in Christ.

In vv.

6-8 Paul gives the commands that must be followed if we are to grow in spiritual maturity

And in vv.

9-15 Paul gives the reasons why the only hope for spiritual maturity is found in Christ

If you are to grow unto spiritual maturity in Christ you must do three things.

I.

You must live in the same dependent faith in Christ as when you received Christ

Therefore, if you are to be encouraged and if you are to avoid being deceived and if you are to grow unto spiritual maturity… then just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk- you must continually walk IN Him.

A. The substance of your walk

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, or lit.

“just as” or “in the same way” that you received Jesus Christ the Lord.

How did they receive Christ?

Col 1.3

They heard the word of the truth of the gospel.

What is the gospel?

Christ died for your sins, was buried, and on the third day He rose again.

Christ shed His blood for you, and only the perfect sacrifice of Jesus can wash away your sins, cause you to be forgiven, and stand pure and holy before God.

How does one receive this salvation?

V. 4 Paul says, “We heard of your FAITH in Christ Jesus.”

It is faith in Christ.

Biblical faith is the idea of putting all of you trust or you dependence in something.

Salvation means you depend in Christ alone for your forgiveness.

Ask Christ to forgive you, turn from those sins, and depend on Christ to save you.

So how did they receive Christ?

They received Him through dependent faith.

The command, the imperative in v.6 comes next… so walk ye in him.

Present, Active, Imperative.

You must continually walk or live your life, or in the context- I think the idea here is living your life so as to grow unto Christlike maturity.

You received Christ through dependent faith, now you must continual live your life in dependent faith IN Christ if you are to become spiritually mature.