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We're going to look at Colossians, and we're talking about how do you grow people to maturity in Christ? And I see them for most of you, I hope for all of you, this is nothing new. But like all good things, you can forget them, and you can lose focus. And I think probably for the first year of our church plan, I think I lost a little bit of focus on this.

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And then I remember middle way through last year, I was sitting down with Richard Coken. And he was just drilling me over a cup of tea at the YouthWorks Training Center down in the Shire. Just drilling me on the word is powerful to save people and to grow people. And it restored my confidence in the word to grow people. So we're going to look at that in just a second. I might pray. And then I've got a little bit of a story to tell before we start.

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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask that you would remind us and refresh us for our ministry, but we pray that you'd remind us that you'd give us greater confidence in what it is we're doing, in why it is the most important thing to be doing in the world, bringing the Word of God to bear on people's lives. We thank you that there is so much power packed into the seed which is the Word of God, that in it lives can be changed.

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We pray, Father, that this day, that the outcomes of this day wouldn't just affect our week and our church this week, but we pray for an impact around the world and throughout history because of what we discussed today. Keep us from wasting our time today. We pray for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Well, I've got two daughters and a son on the way, and my oldest daughter is almost six,

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and I love reading fairy tales to them. And one fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast. And let me just read to you a couple of lines from the climax of this fairy tale. It goes like this. Now, Beauty feared that she'd caused his death. She ran throughout the palace, sobbing loudly and searching everywhere. She found. the poor beast stretched out unconscious. She thought he was dead without concern for his horrifying look. She threw herself on his body and felt his heart beating.

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No, my dear beast, you shall not die, said Beauty. You will live to become my husband. Alas, I thought I'd only felt friendship for you. But the torment I am feeling makes me realize that I cannot live without you. Beauty had scarcely uttered those words when the castle radiated with light. Fireworks and music announced a feast. These attractions didn't hold her attention, though. She returned her gaze to her dear beast, whose dangerous condition made her tremble.

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How great was her surprise when she discovered that the beast had disappeared, and at her feet was a prince more handsome than Eros himself. Now, I think this is one of the deepest and one of the most, wonderful of all mythic truths, the transformation right. And you see it in all the fairy tales. You see it the phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella, she rises from the cinders to become a queen.

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The ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. There's this mythic element in all the fairy tales that has regard to the transformation. And I, you know, it's interesting. Why are we so enchanted by Taylor? of change, of transformation. I wonder whether it's, because it's what we all feel we all need and what our world needs quite, quite profoundly. And you see it echoed throughout the Gospels, don't you? You see Zichias, the trickster, becomes Zichias the honoreist and generous man. You see Mary the whore becomes Mary the faithful. You see Paul the self-righteous murderer,

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becomes Paul the humble apostle. You know, the truth is that transformation and change, it's really, it's at the heart of the Christian gospel, and it's kind of what thrills us most if you're in ministry, which we all are. So I was just thinking about this last night. We've got four people that I desperately long to see them transformed at the moment. We've just had this tall, blonde,

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girl, very intelligent, come along to our church for whom men just control her life. And she's come to church, no Christian background. But she's come to church because she was dating this Christian guy and he broke her heart. And in the end, for some reason, she came along. And I long desperately that she'd be transformed from having the grip of men over a life to having Jesus have his grip on a life. I kind of feel for the guy I'm mentoring at the moment who's addicted to porn,

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and he is so desperate to get released from it, he's so prayerful, he's so self-disciplined, and yet still it takes a hold of his life. I want Rachel, one of my oldest Christian friends, who's in our community group, who's in musical theater. I want her to go into musical theater and to experience success in her career without succumbing to the big. and the me-centeredness of that kind of industry. And I want Kelvin to grow up as a man who doesn't have a father.

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He died when he was 12. And he's kind of lost as to what does mature manhood look like? And what is mature manhood with a woman by his side whom he's dating? What does that look like? What does it look like to be intentional and gentle and pure in relating to her? And that's my deepest kind of, and I'm a deepest kind of, And I assume that's your kind of goal for your people as well, that you'd see lives transformed by the gospel into people who have a deep and profound faith in the Lord Jesus,

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a longing and a hope for where he's taking our world, and a great love for the people around him. And that's what Colossians really is about. Paul wrote this little letter to a group of people. And if you've got your Bible there, Chapter 1, verse 3, he's heard about these people. He says, we always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you because we've heard. He hasn't even been there, but he's heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the love they have for all God's people, the faith and love that spring from hope

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stored up for you in heaven. If you flip over to chapter 4, you read about Epaphras, chapter 4 verse 12, who, it seems planted this little church in Colossi. Apaphrus, verse 12, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus sends greetings. He's always wrestling. Always wrestling. Why is he wrestling? Well, he's wrestling in prayer for you that you would stand firm in all the will of God mature.

[7:42]
There's that word, and fully assured. That's his goal for this church. That would be transformed by the gospel and a grow to maturity in Christ Jesus. And you have the papyrus wrestling. Obviously there's a problem, and there is a problem, and you read about that problem in chapter 2, and you start to see it in verse 6, and then verse 8. He says, stick with Jesus. Verse 8, see to it that no one takes you captive. You have these people moving into the church in Colossi who are trying to take them captive, trying to teaching stuff like you don't really need Jesus,

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or if you've got Jesus, you need something else to experience life transformation. and here they all are. And Paul talks about the deceptive and hollow philosophy that they were preaching. And so Paul writes this letter to a group of Christians who are growing. They've been, he's heard about their growth. And he said, yeah, the growth that's happened in you, make sure it continues. And he says a number of things. Look at verse 21 and this is where I'll pick it up of chapter 1. He says, let me tell you about what has happened in your life.

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He says, once you were alienated, from God and your enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now, notice a change has taken place, but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly any sight without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith established and firm. And do not move from the hope.

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held out in the gospel. Something's changed in their life. They've gone from being alienated from God and enemies. They had no use for God. And I wonder whether you remember your former life, right? How he had no use for God. He was kind of like a footnote to your life. If he was even in your life, you'd kind of cut him from your thinking. And as a result, you'd become hostile towards God. You avoided him. You kept him out because you didn't want him controlling your life and as a result you became enemies of God alienated from God

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and enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But 22, verse 22, but now something's happened. Cinderella has risen from the cinders, right? The beast has become a beauty but now he has reconciled you to God. He's done it and you can be sure of that and you can start enjoying what he's done for you which he's done by his death. Verse 22, he's reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight without blemish.

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He's done it by suffering and dying. He's set aside our old alienation. This should thrill your heart as you remember what he's done. He set aside your old alienation, set aside your brokenness, your sin, and he said that he can come to us, not just his friends. but as his family restored, forgiven, set free and reconciled. So something's changed. Positionally, or adopted into his family. And then soon, behaviourary.

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We used to be hostile to God in our minds because of our evil behaviour, but now change has occurred. You're no longer under his judgment. You've been reconciled to God positionally, and your life will soon to bear evidence of that change having come into your life. C.S. Lewis, I think he said, ! The Bible isn't about man's search for God. It's about God's search for man. And that's what you see here, right? You see us alienated,

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and God coming as the hound of heaven, pursuing us, reconciling us, saving us, and coming near to us. And as a result, God is in the business of change. life, a change in status and slowly but surely a change in thinking, feeling, behaving. And so change is possible. And that should thrill you. Now, how do you get this change? Who does this change come to? If we want to affect change in these four friends of mine at my church,

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what is it that God's given us to kind of bring change into their life? and I think you see three things here. And I reckon Paul's got in mind Mark chapter 4 and the parable of the soils. So I've got three things here. Plant the right seed. Put yourself under a hardworking farmer, or be the hardworking farmer. Thirdly, pull out the weeds, right? I think he's got in mind kind of the image Jesus gives in Mark 4,

[12:41]
so I'm going to use that image and see if it fits with what Paul's talking about here. And so look at verse 25. This is the first thing you do, right? You plant the right seed. This is rocket science, all right? Hopefully you know this. Look at verse 25. He says, but verse 25, I've become the gospel servant by the commission God gave me to present to you

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the word of God in its fullness, the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages, and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches. The glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone, with all wisdom so that we may present everyone

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fully mature in Christ. So notice verse 28, that's his goal, that he'd present everyone fully mature in Christ. Now, how does he do that? Well, he tells you, verse 25, he does it by presenting to you the word of God in all its fullness. Rocket science, right? You know this, but you've got to be reminded of it. We need to be reminded of it. This is how change lives begin, where change lives grow. You get the same.

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seed, which is the word of God. And you plant it in the soil of individuals' souls. The seed is something God plants in it. And this is what Peter's talking about. Do you remember in chapter 1 verse 23 where he says, you have been born again. You've been transformed. A beauty in the beast's moment occurred. You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable.

[14:47]
through the living and enduring Word of God. So lives are changed when the gospel, the Word of God, is planted in the soil of people's souls. You were born again. Your life was changed. You were given new life through the living and enduring Word of God. So I assume we all want life-changing ministries, right? And this is the answer. The answer is become a really good gardener. All right? Get the same.

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seed and go out scattering it on the soil of people's lives. This is the secret to change. It's having the Word of God scattered, drenched. I think Dan, he talks about flooding the Illawara with disciples through the proclamation of the gospel. I love that metaphor of flooding. I think Jordan uses the metaphor of tidal wave, is that right? I like that, right? That's good. And it isn't just the power by which,

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which our lives are converted. It's a power by which Christians grow to maturity. So look at verse 27, right? To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you. The hope of glory. What is this seed scattered? What is this word concerning? It is concerning the mystery. The mystery which, the glorious riches of which is this secret which has been kept hidden, but now has been made known, which is Christ in you.

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Christ coming to live within you. You're with him and God is with you. You're now reconciled, and this is what you become an agent of. You become an agent of reconciliation. So that's the first thing right. You're to plant the right seed. And so my question is, are you planting the word of God, the gospel, into people's lives. Don't give up on this being the power of God for salvation. Secondly, you need a hardworking farmer.

[16:56]
Once you've got the seed planted in the soiled people's souls, you know, Paul's verse 23, he's been talking about the gospel. He's saying it's got to get into people's lives. And he says, actually, you need a hard working farmer. This just doesn't happen through the Holy Spirit, just going out with no human agency. Humans. be involved. So look at verse 24. This is what he says. He says, now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you. And I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking. That's surprising, isn't it?

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What is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church. I've become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fullness. And then skip down at 29. I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. I want you to know how hard, here how he's discussing his ministry, hear how hard I am contending for you, and for all those that are Laotica and for all who have not met me personally.

[18:05]
You hear the links between what he says in one Timothy when he says, join with me in suffering like a good soldier for Christ. The hardworking farmer should be the work. the first to receive a share in the crops, right? Most people in Sydney, you ask them, I don't know, you ask them what, you know, to describe your job, what will they say? I think most people probably think I work three hours on Sunday and I get the rest of the week offer. I don't know whether you have that conversation with people. You know, what exactly do you do? And, but the truth is, notice how Paul describes what you do.

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to Timothy, he says it's the work of a hard working farmer and all the language here is of that or of a fighter. And listen, he says, I'm suffering for you. He says, I'm afflicted, I'm a servant, I'm strenuously contending. Being a pastor is as hard a job as it gets, right? And sometimes I think I underestimate how hard it is. I'm like, no, everyone's got it hard, but here Paul is saying, no, the work of a farmer,

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intending to the seed which is the word of God is the work of strenuously contending. All genuine ministers of the gospel work hard and they'll suffer for it willingly, even joyfully. Verse 24, Paul says, now I rejoice in what I suffer. Why would you rejoice in what you suffer? He isn't a massacist because he says, now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you.

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There's a purpose to what he is suffering. It takes joy in the hard work because he knows the benefit his work brings to others, which is changed lives. You know, doctors without borders. They risk their lives in war-torn countries to save lives. And the gospel minister knows even more the reality that if it comes to it, they will risk their life, bringing real eternal life to people who are alienated from God.

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I rejoice in what I am suffering for you. And I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, which is a church. Now, what does he mean that something is lacking in the afflictions of Christ? Turn to the person next to you. What do you think he's talking about?

[20:50]
All right, what do you reckon? Yeah. I actually, I'm not. I'm not that confident. I've got an idea, but I'm not sure if it's not that confident. I'm not sure if it's right. I don't think it has to do with the tone with Christ's suffering, not flashing in terms of providing… Salvation? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, we know what it's not. How do you know it's not what it's…

[21:23]
Oh, Christ's work is sufficient? Yeah. Okay, so the rest of the Bible tells us what it isn't, but what isn't then? what Christ has done on the cross as all suffers and takes the message to more people. They are reaching, they're anticipating in what Christ's death is for that. So, is suffering, is it a fulfillment of like you, but I don't know.

[21:57]
Hmm. So 1.23 is talking about, since it's the gospel, that you heard, and he's complained. Church of heaven, which I call it becomes a servant, is the act of being a servant of that gospel. So that, the message doesn't proclaim itself to the end of the year. It's through Christ's servant that that happens in the same. That's the suffering that goes with being a servant of the gospel.

[22:30]
Mm. It gives the language. Yeah. Whatever the case, though, the implication is pretty clear, right? And this is what, I forgot in your name, Ken brought up, that someone must pay a cost in order to bring the gospel to the nations. And Jesus speaks about that. He said some of us will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death,

[23:01]
and you'll be hated by all the nations because of me. He says, when he's actually speaking about the parable of the soils, he says of the soil that doesn't last, he says when trouble or persecution, that word in Greek is the same word here for afflictions. When afflictions come because of the word, they quickly fall away. The word persecute, it's the same word. So if you're a Christian, the day will come where if you're loyal to Jesus, you'll experience

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some kind of suffering and afflictions. for staying faithful to him. They may mock you, laugh at you, dismiss you, unfriend you. If you're in another country, they may even kill you and arrest you. But someone must pay. I think that's the implication here. Someone's got to pay. Christ has paid for the salvation. But someone must pay in bringing the gospel to others. And so I wonder whether you can recall, who is the first person to bring you the gospel?

[24:04]
And have you thought about what did they pay? what sacrifices, what suffering did they endure, what inconveniences did they experience, what heartache, what tears, what prayers did they give up in order for you to be a Christian? And as you think about bringing the life-changing word of God to others, scattering the seed, this will affect you. And so as you pick up the word, it will cost you, but you'll find it's worth it. You'll say with Paul, now I rejoice in what I'm sorry.

[24:36]
suffering for you. There's a clear benefit to them. You know, I think sometimes I forget this. I forget that God is with me and working through me, even when I feel I'm at the limits of my abilities, which is often, right? So many times, I just got no idea what I'm doing half the time in planning a church. No idea. I find myself at the limits of my abilities, and I can't possibly achieve what God has called me to do.

[25:09]
And at this moment, I find reflecting on this helpful. Richard Borkham wrote an article many, many years ago in Thameleos, called Weakness, Paul's and Our Own. And he applies this really strikingly. And let me quote to you what he says. He says, we shouldn't be taken in by the ideal of a charismatic Superman, for whom the Holy Spirit is a constant source of superhuman strength. Nor should we fall for the ideal of the modern secular superman.

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The man who organizes his whole life with the object of maintaining his own physical and mental well-being, who keeps up the impression of strength because he keeps his life well within the limits of what he can easily cope with. Such a man is never weak because he is never affected, concerned or involved, or committed beyond a cautiously safe limit. That was neither Jesus' ideal of life nor Paul's.

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To be controlled by the love of Christ means inevitably to reach the limits of one's abilities and experience weakness. That's where I'm at most weeks. All right. And I've got to be reminded, this is a good place to be in. Because it means I am concerned, involved, and darned, right committed. I'm a hard-working farmer. And it's going to tax me. I am going to experience weakness. I'm not going to be a superhuman. But I'm going to rejoice that God is strong

[26:49]
and his power is made perfect in weakness. And that is when hard-working farmers suffer. All right? And that's the second thing. Third thing is hard-working farmers, they pull out weeds. And as soon as he is talking about this, he thinks, starts talking about weeds, verse four. He says, I tell you this. This is the work of my ministry to you, scattering the seed as a hardworking farmer, suffering for it. I tell you this so that no one would deceive you by sound-finding arguments.

[27:22]
That I'm absent from you in body. I'm present with you in spirit. And I'd all right to see how disciplined you are and how firm you in the faith you are. The reality was people were coming into this church, trying to deceive them by sound faith. finding arguments. They came in and they said, Jesus isn't enough. You need to add something for him. Or you should take something away. And so verse 8, he says, see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, what depends on human tradition, or the elemental spiritual forces at work in the world,

[27:54]
rather than on Christ. He said, I'm a preacher of Christ. Make sure no one distracts you from that. It's hollow and deceptive. It'll make your life empty. It'll make you lose your salvation if you're deceived by that. It'll kidnap you from placing your trust and confidence in Christ and it'll choke the seed in your life. And so the hardworking farmer must pull up the weeds. They must start spraying the roundup.

[28:26]
All right. And then if you do all these three things, finally you see, you'll bear good fruit. Verse two. My goal is that They may be encouraged in heart, united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ. Here's the fruit, right? You see Paul's goal for the church, the fruit of spiritual growth in your life and in your church, a unity of love, an encouraged heart,

[28:59]
complete understanding in the mystery of God, a disciplined life and a faith in Jesus Christ. don't have time to go into those things, but there's real spiritual fruit. I like what Rick Warren says about this. He says, we must not focus on church growth, rather we need to focus on church health. He says, living things, if you remove the barriers to health, they will grow. And so he says,

[29:30]
we really should be focusing on church health rather than church growth. If you provide a conducive atmosphere for something that is alive to grow, it will grow. It will grow. It will grow and produce the fruit of an encouraged heart, unity of love, complete understanding of the mystery of God, a disciplined life and faith in Christ Jesus. I've got a bonsai plant that my mum gave me at the start of the year and it's died, pretty much dead now. I don't know why it's died, right? But there is no mystery to why

[30:04]
people's spiritual lives are either dying or living. Question is, is the word being scattered on them? Is there a hardworking farmer working hard, strenuously contending for them in feeding them? Is this hardworking farmer plucking out the weeds of false teaching and those who would take us deceptive by hollow and deceptive philosophy? And if that's happening, there's great cause to believe that

[30:34]
this thing which is alive. God has brought it from death to life. There is great reason to believe that they will grow. Let me conclude with my favorite illustration of this. Tim Keller speaks about an old illustration by G. Campbell Morgan. G. Campbell Morgan, he visited Italy, and he came across this graveyard, and particularly this grave with this large marble slab over top of the graveyard. And probably 500, 600 years ago, an acorn was buried underneath the large marble slab.

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And out of that acorn came a shoot, and out of that shoot came a tree, and out of that acorn became a tree so big that it split the marble in two. Split the marble slab in half. Now, common sense would tell you, a little acorn, slab of marble. Not a chance, right? The marble is the stronger one in the illustration. And yet Jesus is saying here, little seed as tiny as a mustard seed, a little acorn, has such life in it.

[31:47]
The gospel has such life-changing power in it, that it has the power to split a marble slab or split people's lives in half so that they experience a transformation better than what the beast experience. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we praise you that you've brought us from death to life. We've experienced your transforming grace in our lives. And, Father, what thrills us most is to see that take place in people's lives.

[32:19]
We ask, Father, you'd help us get really good at farming, that really good at scattering the seed on the soil of people's souls. Father, working hard. Father, when it is bloody hard, we pray that we'd remember that's how it was always going to be and that someone has to pay the price of bringing the gospel to the nations. By the help us not to believe the lie that we can be a superhuman without weakness. Father, help us to realize that when we're weak, you're strong.

[32:52]
And when we're at the limit of our abilities, it paves a way for you to move in and to get the glory for yourself. We pray, Father, that we'd be attention. to those weeds that are growing up in our own lives and the lives of those we shepherd and look after. And, Father, give us boldness to spray the roundup on those lives. And, Father, our goal is that in Sydney and around Australia, there'd be this harvest of righteousness,

[33:23]
that there'd be courageous faith, that there'd be self-disciplined lives. We pray this so that Jesus would get much glory. we'd get much joy in seeing him at work. Amen.