HIM WE PREACH! – Colossians 1:28-29

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 27, 2013 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; February 27, 2013

Colossians 1:28-29

Theme: God gives us, in these two verses, our “mission statement” as a church and as individual believers.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

In the New Testament letter of Colossians, Paul affirms to us that a spiritual union with Jesus Christ alone is sufficient to make us complete before a holy God (see 1:19; 2:9-10, 19; 3:11). Paul was motivated by the conviction that all people desperately needed Jesus; and also by the confidence that everyone who has Jesus needs nothing else. For Paul, there was no greater privilege than to introduce people to Christ, and to establish them in a relationship with Him (see 1:24-27). And so, in verses 28-29, Paul states his own sense of mission in the light of the sufficiency of Christ.

If we as a church—and as individual Christians—ever wonder what it is that we’re supposed to be doing, we should look to these two verses. They tell us . . .

1. OUR MESSAGE (v. 28).

A. In the verses that precede this one, Paul said that the great mystery—now revealed by God to the world—is this: “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. And so, Paul affirms, “Him we preach.” Praise God that He didn’t leave it to us to create a meaningful message to give to the world. God has already given that message to us. And that message is about a Person. Our task is simply to announce a wonderful Person named Jesus Christ. Note that we aren’t to preach Him as merely a great moral teacher, or a great religious figure, or a great example of self-sacrifice and care for others. He is those things; but if we fail to proclaim the whole truth of what the holy Scriptures reveal about Jesus, we aren’t really preaching Him at all. Paul has already explained the content of a true proclamation of Christ in verses 15-20 of this chapter. To preach Him as anything less than what He is there presented to be is to fail to preach Him as He truly is—and thus fail to preach our God-given message.

B. What a privilege it is to proclaim such a glorious Person! We preach Christ, who alone provides the only way for men and women to be made right with God (John 14:6). We announce that there is one God and one Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). We declare that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:16). We announce that to have Him is to have life (1 John 5:11-12). There may be many interesting and helpful things we can proclaim to the world—and that the world would love to hear. But we have something higher and more valuable to declare to this world than anything else that anyone else in this world can proclaim. “Him we preach!”

2. OUR METHOD (v. 28).

A. “Him we preach,” Paul said, “warning every man and teaching every man . . .” Our method of proclaiming Christ involves two main practices. First, Paul mentions “warning” or (or “admonishing”, as it is in some translations). And second, he mentions “teaching” or instruction. You can think of “teaching” as an act that instructs the mind, and “warning” or “admonition” as an act that moves the will in accordance with the truth that is taught. Both are essential in our work of proclaiming Christ. It isn’t enough for people to be informed of the truths of the gospel. They must also be urged to place their trust in those truths and apply them in a practical way to their lives. And likewise, it isn’t enough to simply warn people and admonish them to live for Christ; we must also teach and inform them in the truth of who He is and what it means to live for Him.

B. And notice that are not to leave anyone out with respect to these two methods. Paul says that we’re to warn and teach“every man”. He doesn’t say to warn and teach “mankind”; as if he were speaking in generalities. Rather, he speaks in a way that suggests a ministry uniquely directed to individuals in a personal way. No single man, and no single woman, and no single child is to be considered beyond the need of the two-fold method of admonition and teaching in helping them to walk with Christ. The proclamation of Christ must be brought down to an individual and personal level in a disciple-making ministry.

3. OUR MANNER (v. 28).

A. Paul said that he and his co-laborers proclaimed Christ, admonishing every man and teaching every man “in all wisdom . . .” Paul’s reference to ‘wisdom’ isn’t speaking merely of something ‘philosophical’ or ‘intellectual’. True wisdom is meant to transforms the heart and the life as well as the head (see verses 9-12). True wisdom from God always leads to holy living, because it’s based on a knowledge of His revealed will for the situations and circumstances we face in daily life (see 4:16).

B. How do we conduct our ministry in a manner that is “in all wisdom”? We do so by making sure that we ourselves are faithful students of the Bible, and that we work to get others into the word of God in such a way that they—and we—live it out in everyday life. It’s the Scriptures alone which, as Paul told Timothy, “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

4. OUR MOTIVE (v. 28).

A. Paul said that he and his co-laborers did all this, “that we may present every man perfect [or "complete"] in Christ Jesus.” This is in keeping with the theme of this whole letter—the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Paul, of course, wasn’t saying that his ministry involved actually making anyone’s salvation “perfect” in Christ. Rather, Paul sought to show every man or woman who was in Christ that they are already positionally complete because they’re in Christ; and that they now stand completely justified before God, completely forgiven of their sins, and made completely fit and ready for heavenly glory—and all in Christ alone.

B. But another of Paul’s concerns in his ministry—a concern that greatly motivated him—was to urge everyone who was in Christ to become “in practice” what they already are “in position”. He wanted them to grow increasingly in practical, experiential Christ-likeness; to go on and “live” the life of someone who is truly complete in Christ. He told them, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (2:6-7).

5. OUR MODEL (v. 29).

A. Our great model for this ministry is Paul himself. Paul spoke in personal terms and said, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (v. 28). It was to “this end” that he labored. He did everything that he did, ultimately, to fulfill his chief calling of proclaiming Christ. And what’s more, he said how hard he personally worked to do what he did. He “labored”. The word he used means to labor and work to the point of weariness. And he labored with “striving”; which, in the original language, is the word from which we get the English word “agony”. It refers to the sort of strenuous, self-denying and concerted effort that someone would put forth in competing in an athletic event.

B. Considering all that Paul suffered and all that he accomplished, it’s a pretty intimidating thing to think of looking to him as our example. But notice the greatest thing his example sets before us—the power he trusted in when doing his work for the Lord. He labored, not in his own power, but “striving according to His working which works in me mightily”. We may feel like we’re far too weak and frail to labor and strive as Paul did. And we’d be right to feel this way. But Paul once said that “we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). We’ve been shown, through Paul’s own example, that the wonderful marvel of our call to ministry is this: We are all to do our work of proclaiming Christ in the full confidence that the Spirit Christ Himself works mightily in us. And as Paul once testified, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

* * * * * * * * * *

Let’s make sure, then, the wonderful Person of Jesus Christ—as He is presented in the pages of Scripture—is our message to this world. Let’s admonish and teach each person in our care to trust in Jesus Christ fully. Let’s faithfully impart to them the wisdom of God’s word for daily living. Let’s labor to present each person who has trusted Christ as complete in Him. And let’s labor at it all diligently—not in our own power, but with full trust in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let’s be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

And may Jesus Christ be glorified as a result as “Him we preach”.