Colossians: journey through joy

Paul's letter to the Colossians has to be one of my favourite books of the Bible. I remember being at New Word Alive in 2006, hearing a series of talks by different speakers through this short letter, and it really impacted my life about the centrality of the gospel in the Christian life. My church, Hill City, also went through the book last year with dynamic, practical teaching that resonated 'Christ in me' again and again. But more recently, I was reading Nancy Leigh de Moss's book 'Choosing Gratitude- your pathway to joy' and I was reminded of how much thanksgiving and joy are part of this New Testament letter. So I decided to read through it looking at all the sources of our joy as believers as found in the book. Here's what I found...

The most important joy in Colossians is joy in the gospel and the work of salvation of God the Father through Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the lives of people today. Paul describes how the gospel came to the Colossians and is 'bearing fruit and growing' all over the world (Col 1:6). Its message is one of salvation, of God qualifying the unqualified to 'share in the inheritance of the saints' by delivering them 'from the domain of darkness' and giving them 'redemption' and 'forgiveness of sins' in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, His Son (Col 1:11-14). How amazing it is to be in this kingdom! We, who 'once were alienated and hostile', are now 'reconciled', 'holy and blameless' before a holy God (Col 1:21-22). We were 'dead in... trespasses' and God made us 'alive together with Him', and cancelled 'the record of debt that stood against us... nailing it to the cross.' In doing so, Jesus 'disarmed the rulers of authorities' and truly triumphed over them once and for all. (Col 2:13-15) Our joy as believers, then, is fundamentally in Christ, 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col 2:3). He is the key to everything, the way we can know God and please Him. It's possible for us to have a personal experiential relationship with the God of the universe through Jesus Christ! And it's not a one-off thing, it's a daily reality of walking in faith:

'Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.' (Colossians 2:6-7)

If we move away from Christ, we will lose our joy! We'll get bogged down and distracted by things that don't really matter. We'll lose our perspective. Listen to Paul:

'Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.' (Colossians 3:2-4)

Jesus gives us joy in the future, in the hope of our wonderful eternity which our human minds can hardly comprehend. And Jesus gives us joy in our new identity as children of God, no longer in the kingdom of darkness but in His kingdom of light. We are 100% accepted in Him - that's cause for celebration!

Jesus also gives us joy in lives on earth, as we seek to obey Him.

'Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. .. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self...Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.' (Col 3:5-17)

It sounds like a tall order, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can truly get rid of the sinful practices of our past and live a joy-filled life of freedom in purity which pleases God.

We can also find joy in our mundane tasks, our work, because we are 'serving the Lord Christ' (Col 3:23-24). We can take joy in any ministry we may have, as Paul did, despite his suffering. He understood that he was carrying out a God-given mandate to 'make the word of God fully known', and he understood that the gospel of Jesus made known a 'mystery hidden for ages and generations'. The message he was preaching, of 'Christ in you, the hope of glory', was a message of transformation, and so completely worth all of the 'toil' and struggle to carry it out. Ultimately Paul knew that he was able to do his ministry because of 'His energy that He powerfully works within me'. (Col 1:24-29) God does not leave us unequipped for the things He calls us to do, so we can do all things with joy knowing that He is sufficient!

We can joy in prayer, because we know our Father hears us. 'Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.' (Col 4:2) We can joy in fellowship with other believers, just as Paul sends Tychicus to encourage the hearts of the Colossians (Col 4:8). And we can joy in the faith of others because the gospel is dynamic and spreading all the time, today as well as in Paul's day.

'We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints' (Col 1:3-4).

Matthew's gospel: knowing and doing

There is a constant contrast in Matthew's gospel with the people who know the Scriptures, meet Jesus, listen to His teaching and do nothing about it, with those who believe and obey. What marks out Jesus immediately when He is in the wilderness and, just before this, in His baptism, is His perfect obedience to the Father and His use of the Scriptures to affect His practical actions. He is baptized to 'fulfil all righteousness'(Matt 3:15). When tempted, He used the Scripture to blunt the weapons of the enemy and, through His fasting and refusal to give in to Satan's demands, He showed the practical impact the Word had on His life.

The amazing dynamic of Jesus' healing ministry grew out of His understanding of His role as the Messiah, defined by the prophets, such as Isaiah, quoted in Matt 4:15-16. Jesus knew He had the blessing of God His Father, and this knowledge and anointing of the Holy Spirit fuelled His hands-on ministry. I wonder if sometimes we know so much about who we are in Christ, and we know that we have the Holy Spirit, and yet we allow ourselves to be held back. You don't often see dynamic ministries like Jesus had, and perhaps we should question why not. Jesus is alive today to work through us! The picture Jesus gives of His people being salt and light both speak and convey the impact the people of God should have on those around them, and it is 'your good works' that have this impact and 'give glory' to the Father (Matt 5:16). It's not going to be the theological qualifications of Jesus' followers that have an impact; it's the radical behaviour that results from right understanding of who they follow.

One of Jesus' big criticisms of the people's religion was that they practiced righteousness 'before other people in order to be seen by them' (Matt 6:1). God's glory was not the motive. Jesus said they will have 'no reward'. In a particularly chilling teaching, Jesus says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty work in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.'"(Matt 7:21-23) The point is not to simply try to do impressive miracles or good deeds, but to genuinely serve God with our lives and actions, not just heaping up knowledge about what is true without it ever affecting our behaviour. The well-known story of the man who built his house on the rock (Matt 7:24-26) is all about hearing Jesus' words and doing them.

The Pharisees and scribes come across as a sorry group. They know the letter of the law, but when the long-awaited messiah comes, they do not believe in Him. It is the tax collectors and sinners who respond to Jesus in faith (see Matt 9:9-13). They are the ones who recognise the truth and Jesus changes their lives. At the end of Matthew's gospel, the Pharisees remain unchanged.

The parable of the sower (Matt 13) vividly depicts the fact that there are different responses to the Word and not everyone will be changed in a lasting way by it. This doesn't mean the Word is any less powerful as it clearly has the power to multiply fantastically. But those who know the truth and allow the thorns to choke them will end up bearing no fruit.

As the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value illustrate (see Matt 13:44-45), if we really understand the nature of God's kingdom and the salvation Jesus offers, then we won't question how much it costs to pursue it; we will let nothing stop us.

Jesus makes it clear that nothing is impossible for God (Matt 19:26). There are no limits to His kingdom. He feeds 5000, He feeds 4000, He walks on water, He calms the storm, He heals the sick and yet He did not see these things greeted with full faith but constant doubt. The Pharisees demand signs as if these things are not sufficient, but the greatest sign -Jesus' death and resurrection- was something they themselves initiated in the sovereignty of God's plan. Jesus said 'if you have faith and do not doubt... even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.' (Matt 21:21) Sometimes we need to question whether our knowledge is really being worked out in our lives... in our prayers... in our faith. If not, it's time to do something about it.

Gideon Part 2

Judges 7

God's power and might are shown clearly when He reduces the size of Israel's army to just 300 men, and the Midianites turn on each other. The men of Israel chase them and kill two leaders. It is a thoroughly successful mission, because God is running it!

After all Gideon's indecision, he finally obeys God- with amazing results.

The incident demonstrates how much God wants us to depend on Him, not on our own strength, and how much He deserves all the glory. As soon as God's people forget that they need God they begin to be sinful and disobedience.

It is vital for our spiritual health that we remember who we are and how dependent we are on God for every breath of each day.

God of wrath, God of love?

"The Old Testament God is a God of wrath. He annihilates entire cities of people. How can you believe in a God like that?"

Ever been asked that question, or asked it yourself? I'm sure we all have.

The Bible is not an easy book to grasp. In the time of history that it spans, there are many events which seem difficult or troubling to the modern mind.

Joshua 11-12 is perhaps one example. Here the Israelite army, led by Joshua, respond to an attack of several cities by completely slaughtering everyone. God hands them over to Israel (6), and everyone back home in the city is put to the sword (11).

'They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed.' (11)

The author of Joshua makes it clear that Israel acted in obedience to God's command, and God Himself 'hardened ther hearts to wage war against Israel, so that He might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.' (20)

So what are we to make of this?

1. God's mercy is always offered to those who repent... but ONLY to those who repent.
Reading the book of Jonah, we have a situation where an entire city stands under God's judgement, and will be destroyed unless they repent. The Ninevites DO repent, and the city is spared.
This is what these cities in Joshua's time should have done. They had heard about God's miraculous dealings with the people of Israel, rescuing them from Egypt, and they chose to fight against God instead of repenting and worshipping Him (like Rahab). Because of this choice, they are destroyed.

2. God has the right to judge us.
He is the Creator of the universe, the sovereign omniscient Lord of power, and He is utterly and entirely pure. All humans are accountable to Him because of these things. And we all naturally turn away from God and go our own way (Romans 3). This is enough to deserve judgement, even without all the terrible things we think, say and do.

3. The reality of hell.
These episodes of destruction in the Old Testament reflect the eternal destiny of those who reject God: hell. If it's shocking and unpleasant to read about people being killed in war, then we're meant to see how much worse hell is. These accounts are there to shake us out of spiritual apathy and show us how much we need to repent.

4. Only through God's grace can any one be saved.
As the book of Romans in the New Testament seeks to argue, no one deserves God's mercy. It is a gift of His grace. If 10 criminals are released from prison unexpectedly, the public don't say 'Why wasn't every criminal released?' Instead they say, 'Why were 10 criminals released?' It's similar to salvation. Instead of asking why God saves some and not others, we should be asking why He saves ANYONE.

5. Only through Jesus can we be saved.
To say that the Old Testament is about wrath and the New Testament about love is simplistic and naive. The New Testament contains the biggest and most terrifying act of judgement God has ever done: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On that cross, God's wrath was poured out on His only Son, so that sin could be decisively dealt with and repentant sinners could be saved.
'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' 1 Tim 1:15

6. The whole Bible is linked together by God making promises and fulfilling them.
In Genesis we see God making promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the nation of Israel: to bless them, gie them land and bless all the earth through them. In one sense these promises are being fulfilled in Joshua, as the people claim the promised land. This is a positive thing because it shows the just kingdom of God rightfully replacing the unjust kingdoms of this world, who have usurped His rule over the earth (New Bible Commentary).
But in another sense, it is not until the New Testament that these promises are fully realised in Christ, as Jesus makes it possible for God's people to live under His rule and obey Him, through the forgiveness of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The lesson of Joshua 11-2 is that God's people need to trust in Him and obey His instructions. The same is true for us today.

Why does obedience matter? (Titus 2-3)

"Jonny," Elizabeth said in a warning tone, "please stop that."

Her three-year-old looked up but continued to bang his plastic Spiderman toy against the back of her car seat.

"Why?"

Elizabeth sighed in frustration.

"Just... because!"

We've probably all had some experience of the wilful defiance of toddlers. And I range from feeling profound sympathy for the mother with the raging, shrieking child on the shop floor, to feeling a little annoyed myself that she doesn't just give in and take the child away so the poor shop assistant won't have to restock a whole shelf again.

But how much are we, as grown adults, like toddlers when it comes to obeying God? Do we shake our fists in wilful defiance, like Jonny, because we perceive His commands to be like Elizabeth's: arbitrary and stemming from a spirit that's easily annoyed?

Well Paul's letter to Titus says a lot to change our view.

'For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age' (11-12).

A true love for Jesus stems from understanding His grace towards us. And He is GRACIOUS! He's not an irritable guy in the sky who imposes frustrating restrictions on us. He DIED to SAVE us and give us FREEDOM from sin! Whenever we shake our fist at God and continue to do whatever we feel like doing, we merely confirm our own slavery to sin. Without God, we are unable to choose not to sin. And the reality is that sin is UGLY. It brings death and destruction, not the glamorous lifestyle that the media portrays as so desirable. It brings a profound emptiness, which is really loneliness, because we are separated from God our Father. We were made to be in a relationship with Him.

Jesus enables us to have that relationship, and His sinless life and death pays the price for all our rebellious living. We are not saved by obedience. Why, then, is it important? Well, a key proof of whether we've really understood God's grace is in our response to it. If we've genuinely understood that we were a slave to a sin, and Jesus set us free, then why would we choose to go back to it? Our eyes have been opened to see our ugly passions for what they really are. God's grace teaches us to say 'no' to them.

Secondly, if we really love Jesus, we will seek to imitate Him and obey His commands. You cannot really love someone if you disregard what they say. So obedience in response to grace is not trying to win our salvation, but expressing our love for Jesus and faith that what He tells us to do is right.

Thirdly, Jesus was self-controlled, upright and godly- so that's our aim too. We should be 'eager to do what is good' (14) because Jesus 'gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own.' (14) We love Jesus because He redeemed us- why would we want to do wicked things? It's illogical, we are His very own- we belong to Him, so real appreciation of our status will be proved by how we act.

It isn't easy, though. Naturally we are 'foolish, disobedience, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.' (3) But we love Jesus because He saved us from that through His mercy (5). And through Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit (6), who gives us the strength (if we pray and depend on Him) to fight sin.

We are heirs of eternal life (7) and have an amazing future with Jesus to look forward to. But how ashamed will we be if we continue to live lives of disobedience to Him? True love for Him understands His holiness and the way He has made us holy, and shows itself in our obedience to Him.

Why we should love Jesus -1 Peter 1

We, as God's people, have been 'chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father... for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood' (2). We have been chosen to be forgiven, by Jesus Christ's perfect offering and precious blood. The key for loving Jesus more has to be found in understanding more our sinful depravity, His holiness, and the enormity of what happened on the cross for our redemption. We have been redeemed 'with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect' (19). A lamb willingly slaughtered for our salvation.

The second key to loving Jesus more in this chapter is found in the resurrection. God has 'given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade' (3-4). The risen Jesus gives us hope, certain hope, of eternal life and an amazing future in heaven. When Jesus returns those who trust in Him will have praise, glory and honour for their love for Him (7). And that puts us now into a state of 'inexpressible and glorious joy' (8), for we are receiving salvation (9) and eagerly anticipate the 'grace to be given... when Jesus Christ is revealed' (13). The triumph of the resurrection helps us to love Jesus more as we focus on our eternal home and the final victory over Satan, the day when all trials will end.