Colossians 2:1, “1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,”

• In verse 1 we are reminded that the Apostle Paul does not know the Colossian church personally. The Colossian church is started by a guy named Epaphras from chapter 1.
• The Apostle Paul is under house arrest in Rome for proclaiming the name of Jesus, and Colossae, Laodicea, Heirapolis are all new churches in the community, false teachers are wrecking havoc on these new churches, so that the Apostle Paul and the church of Colossae (1500 miles away, Austin to Boston) but still the Apostle Paul is struggling for them spiritually.

Colossians 2:1, “1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,”

• When you see the word “struggle” in the original language it is the word “agony,” write that in your notes, because the word “agony” is an athletic metaphor of sweating, straining, and fighting to accomplish a goal, and the Apostle Paul’s goal for the church of Coloasse is to know Jesus and grow in Jesus.

Colossians 2:2-3, “2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

• In verses 2-3 there is so much to draw out, but the first characteristic of what it looks like to spiritually fight for one another is, “that their hearts may be encouraged.”
• When the Apostle Paul uses the word “heart” it isn’t an emotional heart like Valentine’s Day, or emotionally feeling close or distant from God, but an “encouraged heart” is an inner strength that comes from knowing Jesus and growing in Jesus that produces a strong heart.
• In the Hebrew culture the “heart” was the inner man or woman. In Hebrew culture the heart was the reference to the inner will, or mind, so that the Hebrew culture didn’t talk about the brain or intellect, but the heart, so that the Apostle Paul is spiritually fighting for the people in Colossae to have strong hearts in Jesus.

Take a moment to examine the men, women, and children in our church family (Community group, ministry team, personal family, sitting shoulder to shoulder) and consider how we might spiritually fight for one another to be strengthened in heart.

Where are there opportunities to remind one another to place our mind on things above, not on things below (Colossians 3:2)? How can we pray for one another, agonize for one another to fill our heart, mind and soul with God’s Word? Where are there moments we can Initiate conversations and hang outs to spiritually fight for one another to have strong hearts in Jesus?

• The second characteristic of what it looks like to spiritually fight for one another is in verse 2, “knit together in love.”We can’t just become men, women, and children who run around spitting out encouragement. No, we must become men, women, and children who relationally know one another.
• In our culture right now there is a great deal of division around politics, race, ethnicity, health care, and it is easy to be divisive. It is easy to isolate. It is easy to be dismissive, and store up bitterness, but the body of Christ is one; one faith, one Lord, one Spirit, one hope, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all in all. (Ephesians 4)
• The phrase “knit together in love” is a metaphor of fabric being woven together, so that you can’t pull out a thread here or there, and God’s Word is calling us to spiritually fight for one another to be “knit together in love.”

Take a moment to examine the men, women, and children in our church family (Community group, ministry team, personal family, sitting shoulder to shoulder) and consider how we might spiritually fight for one another to be knit together in love.

Where are we giving up on one another too quickly? How can we pray for this area more faithfully? Who are the people we need to move toward, instead of away from?

• The third characteristic of what it looks like to spiritually fight for one another is at the end of verse 2, “full assurance of understanding the mystery of God.”
• We want to spiritually fight for one another to become strong in heart, knit together in love, and full assurance of understanding the mystery of God.
• Did you know there is a mystery about God? Sometimes New Age tries to corner the market on mystery, but the God of Scripture is incredibly mysterious. Sometimes people will push back and say, “How come the Bible doesn’t tell us this or that?”  Yes, the God of Scripture is incredibly mysterious. There are so many questions you can ask me and I will unapologetically say, “I don’t know” and it is because the God of Scripture is a mystery.

Now, there was a time when the God of Scripture wasn’t a mystery. There was a time when the God of Scripture was fully known. There was a time when the God of Scripture walked amongst us in the cool of the garden, and there was relationship, it was personal, it was perfect, but then our sin, Genesis 3, completely disrupted everything He created. It is called sin.

It is because of our sin that there is a fracture between the God of Scripture, and all of creation, so that in that moment the God of Scripture becomes veiled, or hidden, or distant, and as a result the God of Scripture became a mystery to all of humanity until the righteousness of God is revealed from heaven. His name is Jesus!

It is in Jesus the image of the invisible God has become visible (Col. 1:15). It is in Jesus that the mystery has been revealed. It is in Jesus that assurance has been given, “the true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is Christ Himself.”

Take a moment to examine the men, women, and children in our church family (Community group, ministry team, personal family, sitting shoulder to shoulder) and consider how we might spiritually fight for one another to have confidence in Jesus.

1 John writes, “These things I have written so that you might know you have eternal life” and that type of assurance comes from knowing in our hearts and heads all that has been accomplished in Jesus, therefore, what does it look like to fight for one another to grow in confidence? How can we pray for one another to know and grow in Jesus? Who are the people we need to be spiritually fighting for to grow in Jesus?

Colossians 2:4-5, “4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.”

• In the context of Colossians 2 the Apostle Paul is giving this charge of spiritually fighting for one another, because there were false teachers coming at them every day with “persuasive argument” and you need to know this is happening in our world today.
• There are false teaches trying to get us to have a lower view of Jesus’, live in fear and worry. There are false teachers trying to convince us that we are alone in our trials in life, everything is on our shoulders, and every one is against us, deep relationships with one another will never happen. There are false teachers whispering lies that our sin is too great, the cross is too small, and God’s Word cries out to our souls, “We must lock hands with one another with the type of perseverance that says, ‘These relationships will happen.”
• We can’t do this alone. The Apostle Paul is 1500 miles away in agony for them, and we have one another right here in this room, and yes, it will be bumpy, messy, and slow, but what a difference it makes when we spiritually fight for one another.

Colossians 2:6-7, “ 6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

• In verse 6 the Apostle Paul reminds us that knowing Jesus and growing in Jesus, and spiritually fighting for one another isn’t a “sprint, but a “walk.”
• The word “walk” is used because the spiritual life in Jesus is daily, habitual, and the language in verse 7 is that of a plant being rooted, built up and established, because there’s no short cut for what Scripture is teaching us this morning.

In the same way, might we do the same? Let us carve out time every day to open God’s Word and stir our affections for Him. Let us commit to gathering on Sunday mornings by showing up early, staying late, and cheering loud. Let us commit to the men, women, and children of our community group, and while we are there it isn’t to simply check off our spiritually duty for the weak, but it is to spiritually agonize for one another.

All the while knowing that our agony is not in vain. It’s not like we don’t know how the fight will end. We know there is victory, we know the tomb is empty, we know the sting of death has been removed, and even though there are hiccups along the way, we know the soon, very soon, and all things will be made new.