Download Study Materials
The Mystery of the chruch… (2 things)
Faith comes by hearing God’s Word – Romans 10:17 – getting to know Jesus…
1st – The ministry of Paul… vs. 24-29
1st – Paul rejoiced because of the mystery… vs. 24-25
Paul rejoiced in his sufferings for the sake of Jesus Christ…
Paul was constantly trouble with because of the Gospel – II Corinthians 11:23
He was thrown in prison AT LEAST five different times…
5 times Paul was scourged with 39 lashes / 3 times Paul was beaten with Rods…
Once Paul was stoned to death – Acts 14:9…
The way to find out how valuable something is – how much would you pay for it…
If you are only willing to pay 10P for a something – it is not worth very much…
If you are willing to pay 10,000p – then it is a very valuable!
Paul was willing to go to prison – scourged and beaten – even stoned for Jesus!
It is easy to ‘serve the Lord’ – if it costs us nothing…
But how many people are willing to go to prison in order to ‘serve the Lord’…
How valuable is the Lord to us – what are we willing to give up for Jesus!
Suffer is part of the Christian walk – we are all going to suffer…
II Timothy 3:12 – “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Jesus will suffer…”
This is not one of those promises we want to hand on our wall – ‘life will be hard!’
If life were perfect – never had any problems – we might never look for heaven…
God allows life to be hard – so that we remember this is not our home!
By suffering Paul completed the suffering of Jesus…
Not that there was anything lacking in the sacrifice of Jesus – the cross…
When the work was done Jesus said – ‘It is finished’ – nothing needed to be added!
But we were not there to see the cross – we did not see Jesus die…
So Paul was allowed to suffer so others could see Jesus in him!
It is easy to worship Jesus when everything is going well – no one notices…
But when we get sick / bad things happen – just like they do to everyone else…
And rather than complaining about life – we rejoice in the goodness of God…
Then people stand up and take notice – through our suffering they see Jesus in us!
Paul became a minster (deacon) of the church…
Paul was called by God to serve the church – sharing with them the Word of God…
Sad to say the church has lost sight of that today – ‘Minister’ has become a title…
Rather than working hard for God – it describes one who tells others what to do
Paul had been entrusted with the most important of all duties…
They were the caretakers of the truths of God’s of God’s Word!
We have all been entrusted with God’s Word – we know truth of the Gospel…
We were not given this honor so we could hold onto (hide it) for ourselves…
We are called to tell others – to those who do not know/understand about Jesus!
2nd – What was the mystery of the church… vs. 26-27
A mystery not in the sense of something unknown – but something revealed…
The mystery of God – that from the beginning He planned to die for the sins of men!
It was a mystery because of the rulers of this world – I Corinthians 2:7-8
If the rulers of this world had known – they would never have crucified Christ…
When Jesus was on the cross satan and evil rejoiced – they thought they had won…
They had managed to crucify Christ – they had killed God…
What they did not understand – but would learn in 3 short days – it was their defeat!
And by faith in Jesus – the Lord comes to dwell in our hearts!
II Corinthians 6:16 – “You are the temple of the living God… I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
The great mystery of the church is that Jesus does not live in a building…
The church is not stick and bricks – it is you and me – we are the temple of God!
3rd – The result of learning the mystery… vs. 28-29
As a result of knowing the mystery – Paul preached / warned / an taught…
Preaching – telling others about the good news of Jesus Christ…
Warning – those who are not willing to repent – the consequences of sin…
Teaching – those who believe the Word of God…
So that we might present EVERY MAN – perfect (mature) in Christ Jesus!
People need to hear the Gospel – even if they do not want to we warn them…
If they do not receive Jesus – the other option is hell – so we need to tell them!
But we do not stop there we also need to teach those who do believe…
So they grow strong in their faith – and mature in their walk with Jesus!
Paul worked hard – because of the power of Jesus in Him…
Philippians 2:13 – “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him…”
We work harder – but recognize it not about our efforts – but God’s Grace!
Both the will and ability to serve comes from God and God alone!
He does it all so that we can be effective – and have joy in serving Him!
2nd – Maturity in the church… vs. 1-7
1st – The result of knowing the mystery of the church – brings maturity to the church…
When we understand that Jesus has saved us – and now lives within us…
It changes us – and makes us desire to want to grow in our walk with Jesus…
When God walks around – does He find our hearts clean – pure before Him…
Or are there images – thoughts – that we would be ashamed to admit were ours…
Knowing Jesus is there in our heart – makes us want to clean up our house…
Making our heart a place that Jesus is proud to call His home!
2nd – The proof of maturity… vs. 1-3
We know we are mature – when we have a concern for others…
Paul was concerned for the church in Colossae / and the church in Laodicea…
Apparently Paul had never personally visited these churches…
But Paul had a great burden for them – wanted them to grow in Jesus!
If we are only concerned about ourselves – then we may not be mature in Christ…
It is when we are burdened by the needs of others – wanting to see them in Jesus…
That is when we know the Lord is in our hearts – giving us His love for others!
Having a concern for others – does not always mean helping others…
Meaning well – we rush in and try to save the day when people are in trouble…
But in truth all we end up doing is keep them from ‘hitting rock bottom’…
We keep them from coming to a place where they would turn to Jesus!
Sometimes helping means staying out of the way so God can do a work…
Paul concern was to see the church be knit together in love…
Paul was not concerned about the church on the outside…
He was looking to see a transformation on the inside – a change of heart!
You can make someone go to church – dress up nice – say the right words…
But sooner or later they are going to go back to their old ways…
Only Jesus can bring lasting change – a transformed heart and new life…
As we look to Jesus – we are changed from the inside out!
Because in God are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!
Maturity in Jesus is not what we do – it is all about who we know!
So many people think that if they are good enough God will accept them…
But it is when God gets a hold of your life – changes your heart – you become mature!
The rules do not make us mature – it is the relationship that changes the heart…
It is not that we have to read our Bible / go to church / pray…
It is God that changes our heart – matures us so that we want to!
3rd – The reason to be mature… vs. 4-5
We want to be mature – so that we cannot be deceived…
There are a lot of ‘false teachers’ out there – who have persuasive words…
Satan can and will imitate God – he looks like the real thing – II Corinthians 11:14
Satan can come in pretty packages – sin / false teachings – can look really good…
The only way to know the truth is by being men and women of the Word…
John 17:17 – “[Jesus said to the Father] Your word is truth.”
As we mature in His Word – no one will deceive us – II Timothy 2:15…
The way a banker learns to spot counterfeit money – is to study the real thing…
When a counterfeit note comes along – they can spot the imitation immediately!
We are to be so well versed in the Word – that when false doctrine comes along…
We can spot it as an imitation immediately – and completely avoid it!
We want to be mature – so that we are united…
Even though Paul was not there – he rejoiced to see their unity in Christ…
When people are divided over religion / denominations…
They show their immaturity – showed they were still babes in Christ…
People who argue over being Catholic / Baptist / Adventist…
Reveal they are either not saved – or have never grown in the Lord…
Because they are acting no differently than before they knew Jesus!
People in the world love to divide – they have their groups / barkada…
But it should not be the same in the church – we are to be united by love!
John 13:35 – “All will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
4th – Example of maturity… vs. 6-7
Just as we accepted Jesus as our Lord – so we should walk in Him…
Just as we were saved by faith – so we are also to walk in faith!
God has not called us to ‘sit by faith’ we are to ‘walk by faith’ – II Corinthians 5:17
When we are willing to take that step of faith – we will find God leading our steps…
Psalms 37:23 – “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
Just like a tree that has grown deep into the soil…
If you plant a tree in poor soil – it does not stand much of chance of maturing…
In the same way if we do not have the right ‘soil’ for our faith – we will not mature…
If we think that our salvation is ‘rooted’ in our efforts – bad soil…
If we think somehow that we can be ‘rooted’ in a religion – bad soil…
It is only as we firmly plant ourselves in the Love of Jesus – we blossom and grow!
Just like a building set on a firm foundation…
The ‘Rock’ that is the supporting foundation of the church – is Jesus Christ!
Matthew 16:18 – “On this rock I will build My church…”
It is easier to live our lives our way – do what we want – not listen to God’s Word…
We can go where we like – we can do what we want – say anything…
But then we are our foundation – and when trials come – we have no where to go…
We can not go blaming God – it is not His fault – we choose not to build on the Rock…
The only constant in life – the only unshakable foundation we can build upon – Jesus!
Not matter what life throws at us – we are secure in Him!
Just like being taught in a classroom…
You can always spot a church that does not teach the Bible…
There is no maturity in the believers – 20 years down the road – still babes…
You can spot a church that teaches the Word – the people are mature in the Lord…
Leave a Reply