Full personhood is received through God’s gospel

So the reading today is Colossians 1, 24, and we'll be reading through 2, 2, verse 5.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking

in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, for which I became

a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make

the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed

to his saints.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of

this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present

everyone mature in Christ.

For this I toil, struggling with all his energy, that he powerfully works within me.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those at Laodicea,

and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit

together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the

knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge.

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good

order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Well, it's a massive understatement to say that our world is changing rapidly.

We get climate change, political change, geopolitical change, moral, social change, and so the list

of changes could go on.

It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?

A bit confusing, a bit scary.

Yet at the same time as one author years ago said, it's a case of the more things change,

the more they remain the same.

And the reality of life is that, and it continues through every generation, is that every single

person continues to ask, what is it to be a full?

What is it to be a full or complete?

That is F-U-L-L.

What is it to be a full or complete or authentic person?

What is it to be true to myself?

Or, make it a little bit more modern, what is it to be a masculine man and a feminine woman?

It's very common to hear people say today, look, I want to be the best version of myself

possible.

That's a very modern way of putting things.

I want to be the best version of myself that's possible.

And that statement has buried in it a search for meaning and purpose.

But all too often, that meaning and purpose is found in my own desires, my own feelings.

And there, what we see is the key to freedom and happiness.

So, the best version of my own self possible is allowing my feelings and desires to come

to the surface in happiness.

And what that means then is that if I'm going to be the best version of myself, then I'm going

to be self-approving, self-promoting, self-governing, self-loving.

Now, formally, this is called therapeutic expressive individualism.

I think it's actually a useful term for you to be familiar with.

Many of you won't even recognize the term, but you'll certainly recognize the symptoms

of it.

Because it's everywhere around us.

It's part of the cultural air we breathe.

And so, the best version of self, as our culture states it and thinks it, will be actually,

when you boil it down, totally selfish.

Self-consuming.

And I would even suggest self-destructing.

Why?

Because if I'm going to find my happiness in my feelings and desires, then I must make

my feelings and desires dominate others around me where that's necessary.

Or manipulate others around me to maintain my, another modern expression, my self-esteem,

my self-worth.

My self-perception.

And then that takes another step.

I'll only be willing to express love and commitment to those around me in as much as they contribute

to my happiness and my freedom.

Now, we can see that really easily when we look out there, as it were, into our society,

into our world.

The question I want to ask now is, and it's a big question for you and me as believers, as Christians.

Are we still shaped by therapeutic expressive individualism?

Or perhaps a more accurate question is, how much are we shaped by therapeutic expressive individualism?

How much is there in our quest to be the best version of ourselves?

Because I think I don't have any trouble saying that's what I would like to be in life.

Or are we shaped by who we are in Jesus as we live out what it is to be a full, complete, or authentic person?

A masculine man or a feminine woman?

We'll be shaped by one or other.

We'll be predominantly shaped by one or other of those two options.

So let's ask the question that we've been asking each week in this series in Colossian.

What fullness or completeness is ours in Jesus?

And we jump into the text now, chapter 1, verse 24.

Something we easily forget as Christians is that the gospel is essentially a relationship,

not a theological construct.

Now, of course, we can helpfully describe the gospel in terms of interconnected theological truths.

But in essence, the gospel is not a body of theological truth.

In essence, the gospel is a relationship.

And Paul has been really keen to make that clear over and over and over again

as he writes this letter to the Christians at Colossae.

He's repeatedly emphasized that.

And he says it again in verse 27.

Have a read of it.

The mystery hidden for ages and generations,

but now revealed to a sense,

to whom God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles

are the riches of the glory of this mystery.

What is this mystery?

What is God's secret that is now revealed?

Christ in you.

Christ in you.

The hope of glory.

Now, that's relational language.

That's intimate relationship language.

Christ in you.

The hope of glory.

Him we proclaim.

So, for Paul, he's got this concept,

if you're following the outline,

you'll see that Christ in you.

It's a statement of union with Christ.

We're united with Christ as Christians.

Which is a statement of real salvation

based on a real person

bringing us into real relationship with him.

And repeatedly through this letter,

Paul has emphasized

that the identity of the Christians in Colossae

is grounded and shaped by being in Christ.

Or in him.

We've seen that over three weeks.

Together as a church family unit,

Paul sees them as a case study

of being in Christ.

Relational language.

If you look back at verse 2,

the very first chapter, verse 2,

Paul starts by saying,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

by the will of God.

To the saints and faithful brothers

in Christ.

And if you keep on reading them,

in Christ, in him.

Repeated, repeated, repeated.

Verse 12, 13, 14,

I looked at last week.

The same idea.

To be in Christ

is to be a completely new,

reformatted version of themselves.

That's what Paul's saying to these.

You want to be the best version of yourself?

You already are a new version of yourself,

reformatted

by nature of being in Christ.

United with him.

In him, as I said last week,

they've been transferred

from rebellion,

from hostility,

from condemnation,

from the denial of darkness.

From, too,

to Christ's kingdom

with new and full relationship with God.

Guaranteed

to share in Christ's inheritance

as brothers and sisters.

Then last week again,

verse 21 through to 23.

Not only have they been transferred,

but they've been transformed,

renewed from the inside out,

qualified for heaven,

restored to being true image bearers,

perfectly acceptable to God

in fullness of life.

Now, Paul,

as he moves into these verses,

Paul also sees himself

as a case study of identity

being sourced

and shaped in Christ.

Look at the very last phrase,

verse 23,

and of which he's speaking about the gospel.

There only is one gospel.

You've benefited from it.

You've been renewed,

transferred,

transformed by it,

says Paul,

and I have too.

And of which I, Paul,

became a minister.

The word minister is servant.

Relational language again.

What's Paul's response

to Jesus making him

a much better version of himself,

something he couldn't ever make himself?

Well, it's to express

that deep relationship

and identity

single-mindedly

as a servant of Jesus.

So for Paul,

to be authentic

as a person

is to recognize

that he already is

a new and better version

of himself

and to serve Jesus

in the light of that.

And verse 5,

it even goes more.

Paul makes a further connection

with that word servant.

If you look at verse 25,

and he talks about

how he's been suffering

for the sake of his body,

that is the church,

of which I became a minister.

That's the same word,

a servant.

For Paul,

a new and better version

of himself

is something that Jesus

has done for him.

Response to which

he becomes

a servant of Jesus,

which automatically

then makes him

a servant

of the body of Jesus,

the church.

So for Paul

to be authentic,

for Paul to be

true to himself,

it's to serve Jesus

and to serve

all Christ's

renewed people,

helping them

understand as clearly

and fully

as possible

their identity,

their relationship

and their fullness

in Christ.

But then Paul

takes this beautiful

diamond,

which he calls

a mystery.

A mystery is not

something that's

elusive and unable

to be discovered.

It's something that

God has kept

in the past

and now brought

into full relief.

So it's now

viewed and viewable

and real.

So Paul takes

this mystery

of the gospel

and he just

turns it a little

bit to sparkle

in the light

and this is what

comes out of it.

The mystery

hidden for ages

and generations

but now revealed

to his saints

to them God

chose to make known

how great

among the Gentiles

are the riches

of the glory

of this mystery.

The riches

of the glory

of this mystery

which is

Christ in you.

Even more amazing

than being

in Christ

which is what

Paul has been

saying right

through the letter

so far.

Even more amazing

than being in Christ

is Christ

being in you.

Is realizing

that as a believer

Christ is in you.

the relationship

or identity

language

could not be

any clearer

could not be

any more intimate.

As a believer

I am united

with Christ

both by virtue

of experiencing

what Christ

has done for me

through his

sacrificial death

on the cross

and also

by taking up

residence

in me

through the

Holy Spirit

who continues

to work in me

to make me

like Jesus

and guarantees

to keep me

safe to heaven.

I am in Christ

and Christ

is in me

by his Holy Spirit.

That is amazing

language.

If you look

back to

verses

18 and 19

Paul

takes us

into sort of

different metaphors

different picture

words to help us

understand that.

Look back to

verses 18 and 19

of chapter 1

where Paul says

talking about Christ

the preeminence

of Christ

is he is the

head of the body

the church

and then

verse 19

for in him

all the fullness

of God

was pleased

to dwell.

If you want

to talk about

being an

authentic person

and the

illustration

breaks down

here a little

bit but

just come

with me

because

to be an

authentic person

you need to

be an

integrated person

you need to

have your

head attached

to your

body.

Paul's

saying

just that

language

in verses

18 and 19

and it works

like this

it's a

since then

argument

since

the fullness

of God

is in

Jesus

and since

he is the

head of the

body

his church

then

every believer

organically

united to

Jesus

enjoys

fullness

or true

personhood

it's not

too much

to say

that in

Christ

with Christ

in me

by the

Holy Spirit

I have

the fullness

of God

that is an

amazing

statement

isn't it

that is an

amazing

identity

I have

that is an

amazing

version of

myself

the best

possible

version of

myself

something I

could never

create

under my

own steam

or through

my own

desires

and yet

that's what

I am

do I feel

like that

some days

no

especially when

for the

thousands of

time that

day I've

said yes

to sin

and no

to righteousness

instead of

being the

other way

around

but that's

who I am

in Christ

that's who I

am because

Christ is in

me by

his spirit

but there's

even more

to grasp

even more

to grasp

and even

more to

enjoy

because

Jesus in

you means

keep on

going

that phrase

and that's

really all

I'm going

to be doing

this morning

Jesus in

you means

the hope

of glory

now glory

is something

a word

that typically

describes heaven

it's that

final state

that time

when we'll be

at home

with Christ

and like

Christ

in heaven

forever

and that's

full salvation

so in

Christ

here and

now

we have

real salvation

but we

don't

and can't

appreciate

what it

is

to be

in Christ

until we

get to

heaven

then free

from sin

with completely

renewed

minds

we will

for the

first time

be able

to understand

what Jesus

has done

for us

and in us

so at the

minute I

think

it's going

to be

this good

getting to

heaven

to praise

and honour

and recognise

what the

Lord has

done for me

given my

sinfulness

but the

truth of the

matter is

when I

get to

heaven

it's going

to be

this big

because I

don't fully

appreciate

my sin

now

yes I

try to

but I

don't fully

appreciate

either the

nature of

it or

the extent

of it

but I

will then

not in a

sense of

being guilty

but in a

sense of

thinking

wow

that's what

Jesus

dealt with

in making

me the

best version

of myself

that's

possible to

be

a version

that's

now

qualified

to be

here in

heaven

with him

forever

and be

like him

so relationship

and identity

with Jesus

is the

connection

is the

relationship

connection

that connects

our everyday

world experiences

with heaven

and eternity

so I

live in

grace

now

knowing

that I

will enjoy

glory

then

and the

two are

inseparable

because they're

part of

God's one

movement

one salvation

movement

one salvation

purpose

we are not

yet perfectly

like Christ

but Christ

in you

is God's

promise

that in

the future

we will

be

now isn't

that a

wonderful

promise

in the

day to

day struggle

with our

sin and

failings

and everything

else that

life throws

at us

that is

the best

version of

myself

that I

love for

and Jesus

says yes

I've created

it and I

will make

it happen

so the

best version

of ourselves

fullness of

life

true personhood

the relationship

what actually

defines

masculine

men

and feminine

women

is

in Christ

and Christ

in you

we start

our life

reformatted

life

we start

it with

Christ

we live

it in

Christ

on a

day by

day basis

and that

relationship

will continue

into

eternity

where we'll

be with

Christ

and be

like him

perfectly

like him

comfortably

at home

with him

forever

now it

seems like

why is Paul

emphasizing that

well it

seems like

there are

those in

the background

in the church

or on the

periphery of the

church in

Colossae

who are

suggesting

a different

pathway

in life

for them

as Christians

they're

suggesting

perhaps

that yes

it's terrific

to start

with Jesus

in fact

that's the

only place

you can

start

with Jesus

but then

you need

to move

on to

some other

sort of

super

spiritual

experience

some other

reality

that's above

or in

addition to

Jesus

not so

says Paul

everything

God wants

his people

to know

everything

God wants

his people

to experience

everything

God wants

his people

to be

is summed

up

by

Christ

in you

the hope

of glory

that's why

Paul says

in verse

28

immediately

after that

he says

him

we proclaim

now

he goes on

then in

verse 28

follow through

as I'll

read it

again

him

we proclaim

warning

everyone

and teaching

everyone

all wisdom

that we

may present

everyone

mature

in Christ

and then

go down

to chapter

2

verse 2

he talks

about his

struggle

for them

for people

he hasn't

even met

who might

never ever

meet him

who certainly

don't know

him

but he's

been

struggling

for them

why

that their

hearts

may be

encouraged

being knit

together

in love

to reach

all the

riches

of full

assurance

of understanding

and the

knowledge

of God's

mystery

which is

Christ

that's it

that's all

God wants

us to know

about it

that's all

we need

to know

about it

that's the

experience

we need

to have

Christ

Paul

Paul only

has

one

message

that

message

shapes

defines

motivates

him

every

single

day

in

the

language

we use

that's

what gets

him out

of bed

in the

morning

and for

Paul to

get out

in the

bed

in the

morning

is

walking

into a

storm

of

struggling

Christ

in you

the hope

of glory

all his

efforts of

teaching

of persuading

of arguing

of challenging

and encouraging

are for

what end

well

we just

read it

designed

to develop

maturity

in those

he serves

what is it

to have

Christian

maturity

you start

with Christ

what is it

to be

mature

in Christ

well

very

simple

not

complicated

at all

for Paul

to be

mature

in Christ

is to

be so

focused

on him

as to

grow to

a better

understanding

a better

appreciation

of the

fullness

of life

we have

in him

the full

personhood

we have

in him

the life

of true

freedom

we have

in him

the happiness

and satisfaction

which is ours

in Christ

and Christ

in you

there is no

starting with

Jesus

and then

some other

like

pathway

that is

for the

select few

or for those

with deeper

insight

no

you start

with Christ

as you are

created into

a new

and much

better version

of yourself

you live

every day

of life

trying to

develop

your appreciation

of that

which you

will fully

appreciate

when you

get to

heaven

Christ

Christ

in the

past

Christ

now

Christ

in the

future

what is it

to be the

best version

of myself

possible

well it's

looking back

in thankfulness

that Jesus

has taken

hold of me

and reformatted

me into a

new

complete life

united with

the one

true person

who has

ever lived

in this

world

who has

pleased God

in every

respect

knowing then

great thankfulness

that I have

become

in him

and him

in me

I have

become a

true person

pleasing to

God in

every respect

and it's

looking forward

to the

time when I

will experience

fullness of

life in

well all

its fullness

at home in

heaven with

Jesus

perfectly like

him

a perfect

person

perfectly

worshipping

the perfect

Lord Jesus

and in

between those

two

extremities

of life

in the

meanwhile

struggling to

reflect who

I am in

Christ

at every

point in

life

and chapter

two verse

two that

might be

when I'm

struggling to

express deep

unity with

my brothers and

sisters in

Christ in this

local church

or it

might be

suffering like

Paul

suffering

experiencing

suffering

in an

attitude of

joy and

passion and

endurance

you see

each context

demonstrates

union with

Christ

even though

they're vastly

different

circumstances

each is a

distinct pathway

that Jesus

walked

suffering

and in

glory

all the

while loving

deeply

those who

were in

turn deeply

offensive and

hostile to

him

that's the

pathway and

the model of

Jesus

costly

suffering

costly

love

each is

hard

but each

is possible

verse 29

if you look

at that

excuse me

for this I

toil

hear that word

toil

that's a

hard work

that's a

roll your

sleeves up

get dirty

and sweaty

this is a

consistent

application

type word

for this I

toil

day after

day

struggling

with all

his energy

that he

powerfully

works within

me

why is it

possible

when's it

possible

it's possible

because of the

Holy Spirit

within us

and it's

possible when

we utilize

the vast

reserve

of power

that God

has placed

in us for

that very

end

to live

as we

are

to live

the very

best version

of ourselves

before the

world

where there's

hostility

and among

the brothers

where there's

constant

expressions of

sinfulness to

annoy one

another

Paul says he

rejoices in

suffering

now that

phrase in

verse 24 is

a very very

difficult phrase

I've wrestled

with it for

hours this

week and I'm

still not even

sure I

understand it

it's easy to

say what it

doesn't mean

Paul's not

saying that

somehow or

other there

was something

wrong with

Christ's death

and he had

to make up

for it

he's not

saying that

I don't

think he's

saying he's

doing penance

for his

past wrongs

as if God

does tit for

tat type

stuff so

it's easy to

say what it's

not it's a

lot more hard

to say what

it is I

think but

I'm just

going to

take the

courage way

out and

just gloss

over the

surface of

it because

I don't

want us to

get stuck

on it

Paul says

he rejoices

in suffering

now that's

an amazing

statement

itself

isn't it

when you

think of

our natural

reaction to

suffering

it's generally

to run

from it

isn't it

we don't

like it

I know

that I'm

deeply committed

to a hassle

free life

suffering doesn't

fit into my

longings for a

hassle free life

Paul remember

was in prison

unjustly accused

unfairly attacked

and quite

possibly waiting

for a sentence

of death

waiting to be

executed

and in that

sort of

situation

it's even

worse for us

we tend to

become really

bitter

it's not

fair

we become a

bit vengeful

don't we

we want to

strike back

we want to

validate

ourselves

be self

validating

or the

other extreme

we despair

well if we're

suffering that

must mean God's

against us

that must mean

I've been

abandoned

that must mean

God's punishing

me for some

wrongdoing or

some failure

and it seems

again like

some in the

background in

Colossi were

exploiting that

sort of thinking

perhaps suggesting

even that if

Christians are

suffering then

they can't be in

a healthy

spiritual state

they can't be

where God

wants them to

be

they can't

be mature

if they're

suffering

or something

like that

or maybe

the way to

approach

suffering is

to seek

some new

experience

and I think

if you look

back through

the history

of the church

where people

offer new

experiences

it's always

offering a new

experience in

the context of

this is nice

it's not usually

a new experience

of suffering

they offer you

it's normally

something that's

easy

get out of jail

free type

approach

and suddenly

you can just

think well

okay

yeah this is

a pathway

that's much

more preferable

to me than

suffering

and goodness

only knows

I've prayed

that prayer

myself a number

of times

far too many

times over the

years

Lord I know

that you need

to bring me

to maturity

in bracket

but I'm sure

we can work

out a pathway

that's not

going to cost

me too much

it's not going

to be unpleasant

to me

I don't think

the Lord's

heard that

bit very well

or certainly

hasn't paid

attention to it

and for my

own good

he hasn't

so there's

Paul rejoicing

and suffering

what's the point

here Paul's

saying

well

I'm united

with Christ

and so

my perspective

on my

suffering

is that

I am

standing

in line

with

the pathway

that Jesus

himself

walked

the pathway

that Jesus

said his

followers

would walk

on the

way to

glory

he's not

adding to

Christ's

suffering

in any

way

but

extending

them

in a

sense

extending

them to

Jesus

people

as though

Jesus

himself

was present

there with

them

in the

church

so Paul

sees himself

in prison

closely

closely

identified

with Jesus

if Jesus

was still

on earth

this is

the sort

of suffering

he would

take up

and walk

into

for the

sake

of his

people

Paul

heavily

accepts

the chance

to suffer

to carry

his

share

for the

sake

of

Jesus

and his

brothers

and sisters

in Christ

flipping to the

other extreme

very different

but just as

hard

is the

struggle

for believers

within a

church

to be of

one mind

and one

heart

in what it

is to be

in Christ

and mature

in Christ

and servants

of Christ

we know

only too

well

how hard

it is

to struggle

to speak

the truth

in love

on a

constant

consistent

basis

we speak

but so

often

at the

wrong time

and to

the wrong

person

speaking

the truth

in love

is a

confronting

challenging

model

we must

take up

why

because

that's

exactly

what

Christ

modeled

that was

his pathway

it's even

more difficult

to live

the life

of love

before one

another

and towards

one another

but we

must

because that

is the

natural

outworking

or the

natural

overflow

of

Christ

in you

the hope

of glory

let's go

back to my

opening question

we're not

far from

being done

let's go

back to the

opening

question

what is it

to be

full

complete

or authentic

as a

person

well

I already

said that

the world

says

it's about

self-seeking

but the

gospel says

the opposite

the gospel

says

to be an

authentic

person

is realizing

you are the

best version

of yourself

in Christ

and from

there

you will

be

self

sacrificing

since

Christ

in you

the hope

of glory

defines

gives

identity

to

gives

fullness

of life

to

and is

the best

and complete

version

of yourself

then

every believer

ought to

overflow

in the

natural

expression

of our

union

with Christ

and the

hope of

being home

with Christ

and being

like him

in the future

our true

and real

self

my friends

expressed

will be

self-sacrificing

because

it is just

to be

a self-expression

of who I am

in Christ

so I said

at the start

the world

is about

self-expression

we too

as Christians

are about

self-expression

except our

self has been

reformatted

and is a

model of

Christ

as we

express

the new

reality

the controlling

power of the

spirit

within us

overflowing

through our

lips

and through

our words

finally then

to the

second

repeat

question

of our

series

what

prevents

us

individually

and as

a church

from

experiencing

full personhood

well this

one is really

easy

I could spend

a lot of

time on it

but it's

just really

easy to

stay

put

simply

it is

to take

our eyes

off

Jesus

forgetting

the essence

of who

we are

thinking

as we

look ahead

to heaven

that there

are spiritual

treasures to

be discovered

other than

Christ

or better

than Christ

in some new

experience

or a more

immediate

than Christ

who is

in me

by spirit

chasing

after a

form of

Christian

maturity

measured

by new

exciting

experiences

rather than

a greater

understanding

of who we

already are

in Christ

my friends

keep looking

at Jesus

keep your

eyes on

him

turn your

eyes upon

Jesus

look full

in his

wonderful

things

yep

and the

things of

earth

will grow

strangely

dim

in the

light

of his

glory

and

grace

I had

forgotten

the second

two

lines

I just

thought

I'll try

and elicit

that out of

somebody

so thank

you for

rescuing me

Margaret

I hadn't

really

forgotten

if we're

to be the

man and

woman

Christ

wants us

to be

then start

by understanding

what Christ

has done

for you

in the

past

he's

made you

a better

version

of yourself

he has

brought you

into him

in Christ

and he

himself is

coming to

you

Christ

in you

so look

back to

that

look around

for better

understanding

appreciation

and enjoyment

of the beauty

of Christ

and the

security

of Christ

and the

fullness

of Christ

and look

forward

to a time

when you'll

actually see

all that

so clearly

about all

the hindrances

and distractions

of our world

Paul uses

a military

strategy

in chapter

2 verse

5

it's not

immediately

obvious

in our

translation

but Paul's

very thankful

notwithstanding

all he says

to the

Colossian

Christians

he's very

thankful

because he

rejoices

to see

your good

order

and the

firmness

of your

faith

in Christ

well

that good

order

and firmness

two military

words

is simply

standing

firm

with unbroken

ranks

as a

single

minded

unit

with your

eyes focused

on your

commander

looking to

the colours

and ready

for battle

convinced

that your