Have you ever found yourself wondering what God wanted you to do in a particular situation?
Have you ever found yourself doing what you thought was right only to see it apparrently go all wrong?
Are you growing and learning what it means to do God’s will or do you find it all to confusing?
When Paul was writing to the Colossian church, we know from the beginning of the letter that Paul was writing to a group of people who had already demonstrated the reality of their faith in Jesus Christ. And I am certain that if the Apostle Paul had had the reason and opportunity to write a personal letter to this church, he would have said the same thing about you.
We always thank God, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints
But Paul had also heard that some people were seeking to take these Christians “captive through the teaching of a hollow and deceptive philosophy” a philosophy which depended “on human tradition and the basic principals of this world rather than on Christ.” So he was concerned they be confident in their faith and in the sufficiency of Christ to save them now, and for eternity. We are not sure exactly what this teaching was but there have always been many other philosophies, religions and teachings around which seek to distract Christians from their faith.
How many TV adds can you think of that are trying to sell you something, maybe a car or insurance or a weight-loss program or cosmetics, that will solve all your problems and make you a happy and confident person? How many of our books, movies and TV shows portray the perfect job or the perfect loving human relationship as the answer to all our needs? And how many different religions do we have available to us as forms of worship? Christians today are in just as much danger of having their faith in Christ destroyed by hollow and deceptive worldly philosophies as they were in Paul’s day.
So what does Paul pray for to keep these Christians safe?
For this reason,
says Paul, the reason of their clear active faith in Christ
since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will
At high school, I had a sports teacher who was very good at teaching people how to do things. One day my sports class was in the gym and a good friend of mine, Pam, was on the big trampoline. I was standing waiting for my turn when this sports teacher came up and offered to teach Pam how to do more than simply jump up and down. And Pam enthusiastically agreed. So she stood beside the trampoline, giving Pam instructions and taking her through a series of steps that lead up to Pam being able to do a mid-air summersalt.
It was really quite amazing to see how knowing the right instructions made it easily possible for Pam to progress. And then the sports teacher made the interesting comment that she had only ever learnt the theory, she had never actually done it on a trampoline. Our teacher knew the theory but only Pam knew the trampolining as only she had actually done it. And it is the sort of knowledge that Pam had, the knowedge that comes from being actively involved, that Paul is praying for here for the Colossian Christians to have of God’s will. It is not a theoretical knowledge but a knowledge in which the believer is a participator in and perfectly united with God’s in His will.
Let me say that again,
Paul is praying for these Christians to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in such a way as to make them doers of God’s will, perfectly united with God’s will. And by asking that they be "filled" with the knowledge of God’s will Paul emphasizes that this knowledge is to fill all of them --thoughts, feelings, imaginations, purposes, and plans. Paul is praying that they be united with God in every way. This is the knowledge that will take us onto the trampoline of life, jumping beside and in unison with God.
So exactly how does Paul say they can be filled with the knowledge of God’s will? How does Paul say Christians can be perfectly united with God in his will? Firstly says Paul it happens
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10
When Steve and I went to Germany to live, I didn’t know any German, and I knew so little about what it was like to live in Germany that I set out to live there with what I now see as an unbelievably naive optimism that was close to sheer stupidity in its ignorance. Sure I’d seen Germany on TV, and I’d had a good friend who was German, and I knew that the boss I was going to work for was American, and I knew that many Germans could speak some English, but what I did not know was just how different living in Germany actually was. And it began from the moment we landed. We were surrounded by people speaking German, all the time, and for me it was about as useful as being surrounded by a flock of squawking galahs. And day by day I came up against things which were done differently in Germany. Little things, like learning how to use the automatic ticketing system for the trams And then there were the big differences, like when you rent an apartment, it has no floor coverings, no light fittings, no built in kitchen (as in no cupboards, stove or sink or anything in the kitchen). And renting a furnished apartment was simply unheard of. Indeed there were so many differences that it came close to being too much for me and at the end of six months I can remember thinking, “Don’t they do ANYTHING like us (Australians)?”
But you know what I see now, looking back? All along the way God provided us with the people and the access to knowledge and understanding to make it possible for us to live and enjoy living in Germany. He sent the right policeman to sort out our visas. He gave us an apartment with a kitchen sink and really friendly and helpful neighbours. We got the loan of a kitchen stove from a student I worked with. There were classes in German, and people willing to help us learn it. He got a colleague of mine, who was not a Christian, to point out that we could worship in the local American military base church and so we found our Christian community home. Over and over again we had help and guidance and wisdom given to us to deal with the specific circumstances in which we found ourselves and with that help we learned to live in and really enjoy Germany.
And I don’t know about you, but there are still many parts of the Bible I don’t really understand, and there are many situations I find in life that the Bible does not even talk about. And sometimes even when I do do what I believe to be God’s will things don’t seem to turn out well. And sometimes it can get quite overwhelming! But God has told us that he will never leave us or forsake us, and Jesus sent us God’s Holy Spirit to be our guide, comforter and teacher. And really, who could know God and God’s will better than God’s Holy Spirit? Only God can really know the mind and will of God so only God’s Holy Spirit can fill us with God’s wisdom understanding.
So Paul is saying we should ask God to fill us with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding of his Holy Spirit.
The word Paul used for wisdom means true insight into the nature of things and the word he used for understanding refers to the sort of penetrating thought and consideration which comes just before action. So Paul is showing by example that we should not only ask God to reveal his will to us, but we should ask him to give to us the wisdom and understanding that he has about his will.
God doesn’t just want us to do his will, he also wants us to see it with his understanding, his wisdom, so we can see the reasoning which makes it clear that his will is right and good. He wants us to think, understand, view and feel things in the way that he does. God doesn’t want robots, he wants us to be one with him in understanding and wisdom; one with Him in heart, mind, and spirit.
The Spirit can impart this knowledge when we are reading the Bible, in prayer, through the words or actions of other people, in dreams and visions or through something a simple as a sticker on a lampost. If we keep asking God to fill us with the knowledge of his will, to fill us with the Holy Spirits wisdom and understanding, he will do it. And if you are unsure about recognizing it when it happens, ask God to teach you that too, to make it so clear you cannot doubt it.
Knowing God’s will with all Spiritual wisdom and understanding is given to us by God’s Holy Spirit.
And why does Paul pray that the Colossians be filled with this knowledge and understanding of God? Why it is important that we see and understand things God’s way?
In order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:
a life worthy of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross for us.
Let me ask you a question. When you go out shopping and pay money to buy something, do you expect to get what it is that you paid for and be able to take it home with you?
If you bought a car as transport for you or your family, would you be satisfied if the car dealer gave you a matchbox car and kept the real car himself?
And if you spent your life savings on a house on the Gold Coast, only to find that when you turned up to take possession of it that all you had was an empty box that looked like a house sitting on someone else’s land, would you think what you got was worth the money? No?
Neither did God send his Son to die on the cross simply so that we could continue living in sin, living lives that are in rebellion against God; living lives the deny God. That would have been worse than pointless. Our God sent Jesus to pay for our sins and FREE us from sin and death. And that freedom does not begin the day we die and go to heaven. The freedom from sin and death that Jesus bought for us begins to do it’s work in our lives the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
In very many ways I find being a Christian, being a child of God, like going to live in a foreign country. It takes time and effort and perseverance to learn the language, and to understand how and why things are done. And really it’s impossible without help, wisdom and knowledge from those that were born there.
Likewise Paul’s says living a Christ-worthy Christ-pleasing life can only happen when the Holy Spirit gives us his knowledge and understanding of God’s will.
Knowing God’s will with all Spiritual wisdom and understanding will make our lives worthy of Jesus Christ and pleasing to him.
But what does that actually mean in practice? Do we need to be perfect now? What does a life that pleases Jesus in every way look like?
Firstly says Paul, it is a life that bears fruit in every good work
When Larry Crabbe, Christian psychologist and author, became a father, he decided he was going to do parenting right! So Larry made sure he hugged his sons and told them he loved them. He had father-son talks, dinners and camping trips. He personally saw to it that his sons had a thorough understanding of the Bible. And he went to their sports and other important events. And he made sure to give them firm but fair discipline. Whatever he knew was good parenting, Larry did.
But one day, when he was interstate at a conference and about to speak, Larry got a message from his wife asking him to ring home as soon as possible because his eldest son had been expelled from college. And in the time he spent leaving the conference and going home Larry realized two things: despite all he had done he had never seemed to get close to this son and he had run out of ideas for what to do. So as he drove to pick up his eldest son from the college, Larry prayed, simply asking God to help him do what was right for his son because he no longer knew what to do. When he got to his sons apartment, his first words to his son were, “What can we do to help?” And that said Larry was the turning point that his relationship with his son needed. And I can imagine that for Larry’s son, in trouble, in having his father simply come along side him and say, “What can I do to help?”, he saw a living picture of the saving grace of God in action. An action that was worthy of Jesus Christ.
You see we can busy ourselves with good works all we like, but if it is not God’s will that we do those particular good works, then there will be no revelation of God in it, no fruit of God’s Holy Spirit in it. Human love, patience, kindness etc may be seen, but God’s love will not be present. I think this is a really difficult thing to see – that good works have no real lasting value in themselves. Just as good food, good company, good times can be a source of comfort for a while, so can good works. But all those things are temporary, and if they don’t point us to God then they are distracting us from seeking God. Even the good can keep us from seeking the best.
We need to see things God’s way if we are going to do the good work he has planned for us, the good work that draws people to him and bears everlasting fruit. And those good works says Paul are the fruit of a right relationship with God, the result of knowing and understanding God and his will.
Knowing God’s will with Spiritual understanding will make our lives worthy of Jesus Christ, pleasing to him and fruitful.
And the second thing that Paul says will please Jesus is when we are
growing in the (full)knowledge of God,
Again the word Paul uses for knowledge emphasises that this is a knowledge which perfectly unites the Christian with God. What rain and sunshine are to the nurture of plants, the knowledge of God is to the growth and maturing of the spiritual life.
Knowing God’s will with Spiritual understanding will make us Christ-like , fruitful and deepen our relationship with God.
And the third thing that Paul says comes with living lives worthy of Jesus is that we will find ourselves
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might
Have you ever been in a complete power blackout? Or been out in bush on a cloudy moonless night with no light on? I have and it’s a scary thing! Without some form of lighting in our physical world, we are powerless to do anything, much less do anything safely.
We are simply not designed to live life without some form of external lighting. Likewise people were simply not designed to live life without the light of God’s presence in their lives.
The light of God’s understanding and wisdom in our lives empowers us to see the real dangers of living a life without him, and to see the good and right things to do and even how do them. And it gives us the strength to do what is right. This empowerment comes to us from God’s abundant supply: the power of God which raised Christ from death to life.
Knowing God’s will with Spiritual understanding will make us Christ-like, deepen our relationship with God and strengthen us with God’s power.
And what does Paul say is the critical endpoint of this Holy Spirit gifting?
so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father,
Now I don’t’ know if you have noticed yet or not but living in this world is not always easy. Bad things happen, even to good people. And I don’t know about you, but when things are not going well with me I find it really hard to be patient, patient with myself, with others and even with God. And also I find it hard not to take out my hurts and frustrations on others, particularly those people who seem to have had a role in causing my problems.
I need the sort of endurance and patience which will enable me to get through the tough times without retaliating, even in the face of injury or insult and still praise God. The sort of endurance and patience that enabled Jesus to go through with the crucifixion and enabled the Apostle Paul to sing hymns of praise while he was being tortured in prison. And here that Paul is saying:
Knowing God’s will with Spiritual understanding will make us Christ-like, and give us great endurance and patience and cause us to joyfully praise God.
Let us look now again at Psalm 73 (the Message. Eugene Peterson)
No doubt about it! God is good – good to good people, good to the good hearted.
But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way, looking up the the people at the top,
envying the wicked who have it made, who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.
Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words.
They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them – can you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.
What is going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody is tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches.
I’ve been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me?
Along run of bad luck, that’s what –
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
If I had given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still when I tried to figure it out all I got was a splitting headache...
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture: the slippery road you’ve put them on,
with a final crash in the ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, and – nightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes ... Nothing.
There is nothing to them. And there never was.
When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your presence.
I’m still in your presence, but you have taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.
You are all I want in heaven! You are all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God – oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made the Lord God my home.
God, I’m telling the world what you do!
In the midst of trial and sorrow, suffering and grief, in the presence of God, and endowed with the vision and understanding of God, the Psalmist can rejoice in God and find all that he needs in God to be a child of God.
Knowing God’s will with Spiritual understanding will make us Christ-like in every way.
So let us seek this now, for ourselves and Christians all around the world, let’s pray: Heavenly Father,
We come before you this morning as people in need, as all Christians around the world are in need. Whether we are going through good or bad times we are all in need of your wisdom and understanding about you and your will if we are to live Christ-like lives in this world. Without your knowledge and empowerment, we cannot even see what is right and good much less do it.
Please fill us each day with the wisdom and understanding of you and your will that only your Holy Spirit can give. Help us to bring every situation in our life to you so you can teach us to think like you do, understand and view life like you do, feel as you do, and act like you do. Please daily draw us to yourself, to deepen our relationship with you so that we have the power, strength, endurance, patience to be your people in this world, joyfully praising you in all circumstances.
These things we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
