Are You In?

Are You In?
Colossians 1: 1 – 14.

I. Introduction.
I’m sure you are familiar with the story about the man from East Texas who traveled to the big city of Dallas. He was from a small town, so it was easy for him to get lost on all the highways and intersections and traffic going 70 miles per hour around him. Before long, he found himself driving around in circles.

There was a Dallas police officer watching the man drive past several times. After seeing the same man in the same car drive past the same intersection four or five times, the police officer became suspicious. So, he turned on his blue lights and pulled the man over.

When the officer approached the car, the East Texan was happy to finally have someone he could ask for directions around Dallas. He immediately told the policeman, “I sure hope you can help me. I’ve been driving around in circles for hours. I am from East Texas and I guess I just don’t know my way around the big city.”

The policeman replied, “Do you have any I.D?”

The East Texan said, “I.D. about what?”

Today, I want to ask you about your I.D. Not your drivers’ license or your voter registration. I want to ask you about your I.D. in Christ.

I started thinking about this sermon early in the week this week, but VBS made the week so crazy and hectic that it didn’t finish until…Well, it’s none of your business when I finished the sermon.

My original thoughts were about the teachings of Jesus about his use of parables. In Mark 4, Jesus taught his disciples and the crowd of people following them the Parable of the Sower. When the crowds left, the disciples asked Jesus two questions. First, why do you always use parables and stories in your teachings? Second, what does this parable mean?
Jesus answered their first question by describing two different types of people. There are the people on the “inside,” and there are people on the “outside.” Jesus told us that parables are a way to communicate to people on the “inside,” because people on the “outside” cannot understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

It reminds me of the cell phone commercials on TV. I especially like the commercials with Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade. Dwayne Wade wants Barkley to include him in his “Fave 5.” He wants to be on the inside, not on the outside.

I wonder if we have similar thoughts about Jesus. It might be quite a stretch to compare Jesus with Charles Barkley. However, would we make a similar request of Jesus? “C’mon, Jesus. Let me inside. I don’t want to be on the outside.”

It also reminds me of the writings of the Apostle Paul. In several of Paul’s New Testament writings, he encourages us to be “insiders” with Jesus. Actually, he encourages us to be “in Christ.”

As I read our Scripture from Colossians this morning, listen (or watch) for the word “in.” This little word appears 14 times in this short passage.

Read Colossians 1: 1 – 14.

Colossians is one of four New Testament books that scholars refer to as the “prison letters:” Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. You can probably guess why they are the “prison letters.” It’s really simple. Paul wrote these four books while he was in prison.
The books were written as letters to churches and one individual Christian in Asia Minor, the area we know as modern day Turkey. We think that Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon were delivered by three men, who probably traveled together: Epaphrus, Timothy and Onesimus. More than likely, Philippians was written later.

Paul’s tone in the first three letters—Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon—was a clam tone of instructions to the Asian Christians. However, Paul’s tone in Philippians was different. He did not know if he would ever get out of prison alive. He talked about heaven and giving his life as a martyr for Christ.

But at the beginning of his prison sentence, Paul held out hope. He was still functioning as a mentor and a Christian elder for the fledgling churches.

The church at Colossae was not one of the churches that Paul had started. We believe it had been started through the evangelistic preaching of Epaphrus. Paul had sent this man into Asia Minor to preach about Jesus and to lead the Jews and the pagans to become Christians.
Epaphrus had kept in close communication with the church at Colossae and had learned some disturbing things about church practices. The Jews and pagans who had become Christians and formed this church brought undesirable practices and theology with them. They had liberally accepted Jewish traditions and pagan customs. They created forms of worship and discipleship that were unacceptable to Paul and Epaphrus. So, Epaphrus went to prison to visit Paul…to ask for some fatherly advice. And Paul gave more than just advice. He wrote an Apostolic letter to address the problems in the church.

I think we can find one of Paul’s concerns addressed in these first few verses. For example, Paul used the words “Knowledge,” Wisdom” and “Understanding” together in verse 9. This leads me to believe that the church was tempted to adopt the philosophy of Gnostic teachers. Gnostics were similar to what you and I might refer to as the “New Age” movement of the First Century. They believed that salvation was something anyone could achieve for himself or herself through mystical knowledge. (The Greek word for knowledge is the word “gnosis,” which is the root of the word Gnostic.)

Paul tells the church that he is praying that they will receive knowledge of God’s will and that their wisdom and understanding would be “Spiritual” wisdom and Spiritual understanding. In other words, the only knowledge that matters is the knowledge of God that leads us to do God’s will. The only wisdom and understanding that matters is the wisdom and understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit.

So, how can we receive the knowledge, wisdom and understanding Paul is talking about? I think it is all about being on the “inside.”

II. In Christ.
Verse 2: “To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ…”

This is a description of our spiritual identity. We are to be “holy,” “faithful” and “family” in Christ Jesus.

Holy is a biblical term that we often interpret to mean something akin to “perfection.” I suppose one could make a pretty strong argument that “Be holy as your Father is holy” is a call for us to be perfect and free of sin as God himself is perfect and free of sin. But holy literally means “set apart.” Like the instruments and utensils that were set apart to be used in the Old Testament Temple. There were bowls, knives, forks, candle stands and shovels that could only be used in a Temple worship service. They could not be used for common purposes. They were only to be used for God’s purposes. In the same way, our identity as Christian men and women is that we should not allow ourselves to be used for common purposes. We should only serve God’s purposes.

Faithful is a biblical term that more than likely refers to the trajectory of our lives. In other words, which way are you moving? In what direction are you headed? Everyday—sometimes every moment of every day—we have choices to make. The world bombards us with temptations and distractions. God calls us to a higher purpose. Which choice will you make? Will you pledge your allegiance to Christ, or to the world? Will you demonstrate ongoing loyalty to Christ? Or will you allow other stuff to pull your life off course?

Family is my interpretation of Paul’s use of the word “brothers.” Paul is very specific in other places in the New Testament that not everyone on the face of the earth can claim to be a child of God. We are not all God’s children, and God is not the Heavenly Father to every person who lives. No. God is the Father of Jesus. And God became my Father when I entered into a personal relationship with Jesus.

Shauna and I are crazy people. During the most hectic week of the summer, we allowed our sons to invite friends to spend the night at our home. We like to have friends spend the night. We do everything to make these friends feel comfortable, at home and included. But the next day, they go back home to their own families. We are friendly and gracious to guests in our home, even if they are not our family. But they are still outsiders. And there are some things outsiders cannot do with our family. It is the same with God’s family. We can only be included in God’s family “in Christ.” Without Christ, there are some things we cannot do with God’s family.

Verses 3 – 4: “…because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus…”

Here, Paul describes something very similar to his previous reference to “faithfulness.” However, I want to make a distinction. In verse one, he was complimenting the Christians for their ongoing loyalty to God’s purposes through Jesus. Now, he is referring to the initial act of faith through which one can enter into God’s family. Remember, God’s family is only available to those who have faith in Jesus.

I want to emphasize here that faith has to be more than just belief. We do not enter into God’s family just by acknowledging that Jesus is God’s Son. It has to be a belief that changes everything about our lives. It’s like when Jesus called the first disciples. These men were working in their father’s fishing business. Jesus walked along the lake shore and called to them: “Come. Follow me.” Jesus did not say, “Believe in me.” He asked them to abandon their former way of life and enter into a lifelong journey of following Jesus in order to pattern their lives after Jesus’ life. Faith requires that we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. But it also requires a new kind of life that is only possible with God’s help.

Verse 13 – 14: “…the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

This is the Gospel, the Good News, that God offers us as insiders. This is how we move from the outside to the inside.

Every human has a problem with sin. We are tempted and distracted by the world. The world does not live according to God’s law. The world does not measure up to God’s standards. It is impossible for human beings to meet God’s standards. We try, but we always fail. That’s Bad News. The Good News is that God has provided a way.

There is only one way to be right before God. There is only one way for us to have life beyond death. There is only one way to make it to heaven. And God provided that one way through his Son, Jesus. The death of Jesus on the cross is God’s way to redeem us—to buy us out of slavery. The death of Jesus on the cross is God’s way to forgive us of sin—to make us right with God.

We cannot do this on our own power or on the basis of our own good works. Redemption, forgiveness, salvation and heave are only available “in Christ.” Let Jesus change our lives for ever.

III. In the Spirit.
Verse 8: “…your love in the Spirit.”

There are several places in Paul’s writings where he teaches us about the Spirit. In some of these passages, Paul tells us there is an ongoing battle between “flesh” and “Spirit.” This does not mean that you and I are experiencing internal conflict between two parts of our human nature. No. It means that everything fleshly or earthly is in conflict with God’s Holy Spirit.
In other places Paul tells us that it is God’s Holy Spirit that brings unity among the Christians who make up the church. This is what Paul is telling us here. Our love for one another is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. Some people are hard to love. But God helps us love each other by being present in our lives.

IV. In the Kingdom of God.
Verse 12: “…in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Verse 13: “…brought us into the Kingdom of the Son…”

A kingdom is the realm in which the king has sovereignty. When we are “in Christ” we are also citizens of God’s Kingdom. In other words, we give God the controls over every aspect of our lives. God should control us seven days a week—not just on Sundays.

V. In the Word of Truth.
Verse 5: “…in the word of truth, the gospel…”

There are many things about God that are consistent; they never change. One thing is the way God reveals himself and communicates with us. If you and I are “insiders” and enjoy a personal relationship with God, then we ought to spend time with God, listening to what God has to say about himself. God speaks to us through his word, the Bible. If you do not read the Bible, then you cannot know God or hear God. You will never accomplish God’s will for your life, if you do not listen to God’s word.

VI. Conclusion: In Christ and At Colossae.
Verse 2: “…in Christ at Colossae.”

We began by talking about our identity in Christ. I want to end by showing you the two ways Paul described his audience. They are “in Christ” and they are “at Colossae.” They have a spiritual identity and a physical location to serve. We too have spiritual identity and a location to serve. We are “in Christ” and “at Lufkin, TX.”