Today we
shall discuss Colossians 2:1-10. The key verse for our study today, Colossians
2:10: “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all
principality and power.”
Guy King says
that the word “complete”
is a word picture
in Greek. He wrote, “They tell me that it holds the
idea of a ship fully rigged, and equipped, for the voyage.” Paul tells us, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any
thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (II Corinthians 3:5). In this
verse "sufficiency" is from the Greek term "hikanotes,"
meaning "ability or competency to do a thing" (Thayer). Later, Paul
told the saints in Corinth, “And God is able to make all
grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things,
may abound to every good work” (II Corinthians 9:8). Here
"sufficiency" is translated from the Greek word
"autarkeia," meaning, "a perfect condition of life, in which no
aid or support is needed" (Thayer).
Returning to the thought that in
Christ we are like a ship fully rigged and equipped for the voyage of life, let
us set sail! Psalm 107 comes to mind when God makes the analogy of our life
like a ship at sea. The promise is “...He bringeth them unto their desired haven” (Psalm 107: 30b). We have nothing to worry about. We
are sufficient for the journey because in Christ we are complete. Please
notice:
I.
Complete Love and the Assurance it Provides
(Colossians 2:1-3) You can give
without loving, but you can never love without giving. Paul said, in Colossians
2:1a, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have
for you....” The word “conflict” is translated from the Greek word, “agon.”
This is where we
get our English word “agony.” I recall years ago hearing the phrase, “agonize in prayer.” Rarely do I hear this phrase
anymore. If we are going love like Paul, there will be agony in prayer and
often in our service. Colossians 2:2a says, “That
their hearts might be comforted....” The word “comforted”
is “parakaleo”
in Greek, meaning
“encouraged” or “to call alongside of.”
William Barclay
commented on this verse with a classical Greek parallel. He wrote: “There was a Greek regiment which had lost heart and
was utterly dejected. The general sent a leader to talk to it to such purpose
that courage was reborn and a body of dispirited men became fit again for
heroic action.”
The heart is the
center of our thinking faculty as exemplified in Matthew 24:48: “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart,
My lord delayeth his coming.” This is why Proverbs 4:23
says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are
the issues of life.” We are emotional beings, but
we are not to allow our emotions to pull us away from a close walk with God
that yields forth fruit of righteousness. “Hear
thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:19). This verse is saying that we are to
see that we guide our heart, not let our heart guide us.
It is hard not to think of love when
we use the word “heart.” So also Paul said in Colossians 2:2b, “...being knit together in love....” Francis Schaeffer called the unity of the Church, “the final apologetic to the watching world.”
Jesus
prayed, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me”
(John 17:21). Our
apparent love to one another convinces the world that the faith we have is real
and our love actually becomes a great incentive for a lost world to believe!
The latter part of Colossians 2:2
tells us that the more we know of Christ and His Deity, the greater our
assurance. The truth is hidden with Christ; the key therefore is knowing Him.
Colossians 2:3 points out the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are “hid”
(from the Greek
word, “apokruphos”) in Christ.
What a great loving savior, what
great assurances he provides!
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