Colossians 1:1-14 Sermon

Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) 

“Finding Your Fulfillment in Christ” Series: Celebrate Christ

Colossians 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)

Caught up in the moment, your eyes are glued to the screen.  The build-up has led you to this point.  The conflict and the unanswered questions are finally going to be resolved.  And then, as you anxiously anticipate the peace of mind that comes with any good movie as soon as the conflict is resolved, your biggest fear plays out: the credits abruptly appear as the theme music starts to gradually fade in.  “Are you kidding me?” you ask out loud.  “That can’t be the end!”  All of your questions remain unanswered, hanging there, lingering, never to be paired with satisfactory answers.  At that point an OK, a mediocre, or even a potentially promising movie instantly makes it to the top of your “Do not recommend” list.  You’re frustrated, mad at the director and the actors for taking the easy way out instead of tying up all the loose ends, and you desperately long for the last two hours of your life back.  You are unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Perhaps you’ve had similar feelings about your life as a Christian.  Maybe you’re even feeling that way right now.  You’ve seen so many attention-grabbing trailers and teasers from the lives of other Christians that sucked you in like an intriguing movie preview, convincing you that you have to achieve such an experience yourself.  But then, as it plays out in your life, your high hopes and your eager expectations go unmet.  It looks so good when you see it in others, when they speak with such passion about what a difference their faith makes for them, and what a thrilling and fulfilling ride it is to be a Christian.  But not for you.  Instead your Christian life often feels more like you’re just bogged down in traffic on the way to work during rush hour.  Less than thrilling.  Not fulfilling.

So what is missing?  Why does your Christian life feel like a car broken down on the side of the road while everyone else adventurously zips by; like the minute your life even remotely appears like maybe, just maybe it could still turn into a gripping novel or an exciting read, you flip the next page only to find a bunch of pages missing?  Why isn’t walking with Jesus more fulfilling?

This morning and for the next three Sundays that follow, as we study the book of Colossians, God will direct our attention to what he has done and what he continues to do for us so that we can find fulfillment in Christ.  God’s Word is a record of his activity on our behalf, to show us that throughout history he has loved us with an everlasting love.  That means he values us.  We’re special to him.  And knowing that in turn gives us purpose for this life; it means we can find fulfillment with Christ.

Were the Colossians lacking a sense of fulfillment in their Christian lives?  Is that why they were in danger of being led astray by what has been called “the Colossian heresy?”  Regardless of what it was that may have made that false teaching so appealing, we know that it was a serious enough issue for the pastor at Colossae to travel over a thousand miles to visit Paul in Rome and alert him to the danger.  When Paul got word that a message which undermined the gospel was being passed along to the believers there, he strove to set things straight by reminding the Colossians of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.  There was no place to attach any additional requirements or higher knowledge to the saving work of Jesus; Jesus and Jesus alone was all that was necessary for salvation.

Paul clearly celebrates that in his letter to the Colossians by pointing out how much was being accomplished through that message of Jesus all over the world.  “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace” (v.6).  Paul was leading the Colossians to ask themselves if the gospel would be bearing such amazing fruit throughout the world if in fact the good news about Jesus was somehow insufficient or inadequate.  Not likely.  And, if that was the case, then Jesus Christ was really worth celebrating.  Not only did the gospel take root and bear fruit among the Colossians, but it was doing the very same thing all over the world.  Souls were being spared the scorching flames of hell and instead being escorted into heaven. As Paul put it, “he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 13,14). Now that was cause for celebration.

Might celebrating that cause – the cause of Christ – more often serve us well?  Might that at least in part contribute to a greater sense of fulfillment in our lives if we took more time to celebrate Christ and his work the world over? 

Compare that celebration with the things we celebrate on a routine basis.  The build up to a birthday eventually gives way to the reality that we’re another year older.  The celebration of a graduation quickly fades into the background once the next level of education begins or a career ensues.  Then, on the other end of a career we celebrate retirement, only to find out that we actually miss the structure and the income of a regular job, quickly replaced by the worry of how long we can stretch our retirement money.  Even the minor things – a favorite author’s newest release, a summer blockbuster, a song, or a show – all of those things which we build up in our own minds and celebrate with great fanfare will all-too-soon be forgotten as something else quickly grabs our attention.  Our celebrations may involve joy and fulfillment, but only in the same way a great piece of pie does – wonderful, yes, but too quickly it disappears, leaving behind only an empty plate and a few crumbs of crust.

But how different if we take the time to celebrate Christ and what he’s doing all over – that celebration will never end and never disappoint.  Who doesn’t want that kind of celebration?  Who doesn’t want to be involved in an open-ended celebration that will always leave us fulfilled?  And who could argue that as society’s aversion to Christianity and organized religion stretches to new heights threatening to surpass those that any of us have seen in our lifetimes, that we would not benefit from a renewed emphasis on what Christ continues to do in the world?

Another reason we do well to find the encouragement of celebrating Christ? The gospel is still bearing fruit in spite of the fact that more and more within Christianity itself we see compromise, indifference, a lack of commitment, and contentment with a watered-down “spirituality” that seems to be an all-too-acceptable substitute for a faithful and active faith-life.  Yet with all of those troubling realities, still “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

So let’s celebrate Christ.  Look at what he is doing all over the world.  Many of us have heard and continue to follow Chris Pluger and the work he is doing in translating the Bible into the Nsenga language for people in parts of Africa.  Celebrate Christ! Some in China are reportedly becoming concerned about the number of university students who are becoming Christians because of the biblical materials being used by organizations to teach English.  Celebrate Christ!  We continue to send and support missionaries, and have made tremendous strides in training and equipping indigenous pastors to serve their own people.  Celebrate Christ!  And we don’t have to travel to foreign countries to carry out mission work – it continues to happen right in our back yards.  After years of without having been able to do so, our church body is once again planting churches and starting new missions.  Our graduates from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary are being assigned to be a part of that exciting process.  Celebrate Christ!

And don’t forget that what Paul wrote to the Colossians also applies to us: while the gospel is bearing fruit “out there,” it isn’t bearing fruit only out there, but “just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace” (v.6).  How many reasons can you think of to celebrate Christ within our congregation?  How many little lambs have come to know of Jesus’ love through Sunday school and our elementary school?  Celebrate Christ!  How many before us have confessed saving faith in Jesus in their last moments of this life?  Celebrate Christ!  It’s easy to scan through a sign up sheet and zero in on the blanks, but don’t overlook the names that are on those lists because Jesus’ love moves them to serve and the gospel is bearing fruit in their lives.  Celebrate Christ!  He is very much at work in this place everywhere you turn.     

And certainly we have more than enough reasons so celebrate Christ as individuals, don’t we?  “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 13,14).  This understanding is at the core of finding your fulfillment in Christ.  The reason we so often lack purpose or meaning or significance, and then by extension, fulfillment, is that we spend an unhealthy amount of time focusing on our own track record.  Should I really be surprised that I struggle to feel fulfilled if the only place I look is right here (self) and what I’ve accomplished?  Talk about setting yourself up for disappointment!  But the perfection we lack is supplied in Christ.  The fulfillment-driven selfishness that often governs our own decisions and actions in life is overshadowed by the selflessness of Christ.  Our failures as Christians that are constantly glaring back at us can only be forgiven and forgotten in Christ. 

Think about it: if you ever felt a perfect sense of fulfillment when focusing on yourself, then where would Christ fit into the picture?  He wouldn’t!  Isn’t that a clear indicator that we should not expect to feel completely fulfilled on our own?– it’s impossible; that’s why Christ came into the world.  He rescued us from the depressing and damning darkness of lives that have fallen far short of the glory of God.  True and lasting fulfillment will elude you your entire life if you continue to make the mistake of celebrating yourself.  Celebrate Christ and the gospel that bears fruit all over the world as well as in your heart, and you’ll be taking a hugely important step toward finding your fulfillment in Christ.  Amen.

                                                              

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)