A Prayer to Grow On
Colossians 1:9-14
INTRODUCTION
When it comes to matters of faith, how good is good enough for you? What is your goal in the Christian life? Is your goal to be the best believer you can be for the glory of God? Obviously, our Lord’s desire is for us to continue to grow and mature in our faith for all the years God allows us to live. But, if we would be honest with the Lord, most of us would have to admit that our personal spiritual goals are not as ambitious as our Lord would like for them to be. We may be working hard to be a smart student, a wise parent, a successful businessperson, a scratch golfer or a hunter with a twelve-point buck as a trophy on the wall. But are we exerting the same effort in growing in Christ-likeness?
We need to recognize the high price of settling for less than our best when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. When we fail to consistently grow spiritually as followers of Christ we do much more than deny ourselves the love, peace and joy God desires for us. We also have a negative impact on the advancement of the kingdom of God. When we fail to grow spiritually as followers of Christ our spiritual negligence not only robs us of blessings. It potentially affects where others we influence will spend eternity.
This should not surprise us. Whenever people fail to strive for excellence others are adversely affected. Have you ever thought about just how chaotic life would be if people with critical responsibilities did not always strive for perfection in their job? What if people employed in the medical profession considered 99.9 percent accuracy to be “good enough”?
§ If ob-gyn nurses considered 99.9 percent to be good enough, 12 babies would be given to the wrong parents to take home every single day.
§ If 99.9 percent was considered good enough by cardiologists 291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly each and every day.
§ If pharmacists were satisfied with 99.9 percent accuracy, a whopping 20,000 prescriptions would be filled incorrectly every day in this country.
Obviously, mediocrity on the part of medical professionals can cause others to pay an unreasonably high price. That is why people in the medical field are required to take a certain number of continuing education hours every year to maintain their license. Medical professionals are required by law to stay current in their knowledge and skills because of the potential impact their mistakes can have on others.
In Colossians 1:9-14 the apostle Paul prays for the members of the church in Colossae with a similar end in mind. Paul knew how important it was that they continue to grow and mature in their faith. In the first 8 verses of Col 1 Paul expresses his gratitude for the faith of the Colossian Christians. Now, beginning in v9 Paul prays a prayer he hopes will be a prayer they can grow on.
** Read Col 1:9-14 **
In this beautiful prayer, the Apostle Paul points out four critical aspects of Christian growth that each of us need to embrace in order to become and remain the growing and kingdom-expanding followers of Christ that He expects us to be.
TRANS: The first aspect of Christian growth addressed by Paul in this special prayer is something we all need to consider carefully. Any follower of Christ interested in continually growing in the Lord needs to make certain:
I. That God’s Will Is What Fills Us
EXP: In v9 of our text Paul prays that the Colossian Christians may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Now Paul is not implying that these believers had no knowledge of God and His will. The Greek word translated as “knowledge” in v9 is the same as the word used in v6 where Paul gives thanks that they had understood the grace of God in truth. What Paul was praying for is revealed in the word filled as it is used in v9. Paul was praying that the will of God would continue to fill their lives helping them to grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding on an ongoing basis. The Colossians had an understanding of God’s will but they needed to be open to know and learn more of God’s truth. Paul did not want them to be satisfied where they were spiritually. His desire was to challenge them to continue to seek the Lord and grow in their understanding of God’s will through personal prayer, study and obedience to God’s leadership in their lives. Paul wanted them to be moving forward spiritually because that is God’s will for each of our lives, that we continue to move forward with the Lord to a fuller faith, that we grow in Christlikeness.
ILL: Most of our cars are equipped with an automatic transmission gear shift with an indicator that points to what gear we are presently in. If we want our car to move forward we shift to the D, which stands for “drive”. If we want the car to move backwards we shift to the R, which stands for “reverse”. If we want the car to stay in the place where it is we can shift the car to P for “park”. If we want the wheels of the car to turn freely we place the shift to N for neutral. But just because these are the directional choices we have in our cars does not mean we have those same choices available to us in the Christian life. There is no “Park” setting for the Christian life. You cannot spiritually park your life where you are right now and expect to stay there. Because we are in a living relationship with the Lord, we are either spiritually going forward or we are going backwards. And if we do not choose to go forward spiritually we are automatically going backwards. And putting our lives in “neutral” spiritually can be a very dangerous thing indeed. God’s will is that we put our lives in “D” and move forward with the Lord.
APP: God has an ongoing will for our life that needs to be rediscovered each and every day. But the will of God Paul is speaking about here is not some secret that must be pried out of God in order to be known. It is not a mystery that will one day be written magically in the sky or on a wall in the church if we do all the right ritualistic things. The will of God is something we learn from the pages of God’s Word. In God’s Word we learn how to avoid sin and do what is right in God’s eyes. The will of God for our lives is revealed primarily in the pages of Scripture. And nothing is God’s will that conflicts with the clear teaching of Scripture.
ILL: A few years ago there was a Christian bumper sticker I remember seeing on many car bumpers. Here is what it said,
“God Said it. I Believe it. That’s Enough for me”.
It sounds like good theology. But it really has an extra step in it we need to take out. To be more accurate it should say,
“God Said it. That’s Enough for me.”
Whether we individually, or the majority in our society believe something God’s Word commands us is right really does not matter. It is what God’s Word says that ought to determine what is right and what is wrong, not what we want to believe.
APP: We know that stealing is a sin because God’s Word tells us it is. If stealing less than $20 worth of merchandise some day becomes acceptable in our culture will it then be OK with God? No, of course not. Our society may change its mind on what is right and what is wrong. But God does not change His mind in these matters because His Word does not change. That is why we know that homosexuality is a sin even though a growing number of people in today’s society consider it an alternate lifestyle. That is how we know sex outside of marriage is a sin. It is what God’s Word teaches. And if God’s Word teaches it, that should settle the matter for us. A major mark of Christian maturity is our willingness to accept the authority of God’s Word as our primary authority for life.
TRANS: Along with being filled by God’s will, to grow spiritually as God desires, it is also important:
II. That a Worthy Walk Is What Thrills Us
EXP: The heart of Paul’s prayer can be found in what he prayed for in v10. The reason Paul wanted the Colossian believers to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will was so they could walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. One of the heretical teachings that plagued the Colossian church was the place of spiritual knowledge in Christian life. The Colossian believers were troubled by teachers who had made the attainment of knowledge the goal of the Christian life. These teachers claimed to possess a higher knowledge of God reserved for a few “super believers.” By learning their so-called spiritual truths and following their legalistic religious traditions believers were supposed to enter into a privileged relationship with God. But Paul knew ritualism never led anyone to a deeper personal faith. Paul believed and taught that the will of God is to be pursued to enable believers to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord it ought to thrill us to know we are able to live in victory over sin to the glory of God.
ILL: Why do people pursue the things that they do? What keeps fishermen fishing? Why do hunters continue to hunt? What motivates golfers to continue to play golf? What keeps them going is the thrill they get. When a fisherman “lands the big one” they get a thrill that motivates them to keep sacrificing the time and energy they do to fish. When a hunter kills that big buck, or simply enjoys a quiet morning in a deer stand, they receive a thrill that motivates them to keep on in their pursuit of hunting making whatever sacrifice necessary to be in their stand before dawn. If a golfer does not get an occasional thrill from a long drive placed in the middle of the fairway or a tough putt made, it is doubtful that person will continue to play golf very long. We do what we do because of the thrill we get from that pursuit.
APP: As Christians, it should thrill us as much to please the Lord as it would for a hunter to kill that 12-point buck or a golfer to get a hole-in-one. The only way this can be true is if our ultimate desire is to do what Paul says in v10, to please the Lord in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Do not let anyone fool you. Living the Christian life is not merely an academic exercise. Being a Christian is more than achieving a certain set of moral habits. It also involves bearing spiritual fruit.
ILL: This reference to a person’s spiritual life as a worthy walk is a common Biblical analogy that goes back to the Old Testament. In Micah 6:8 the prophet asks an important question:
And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
Walking with the Lord was one of Paul’s favorite ways of portraying our pursuit of spiritual maturity. He uses the analogy more than thirty times. Walking typically involves both direction and progress. We talk about walking to the store or to the mailbox. When we walk, we are in pursuit of a worthy goal with a steady and humble gait. For Paul, this was an ideal image of the Christian life, a person on a steady lifelong journey towards Christlikeness.
APP: The ideal pursuit of the Christian life is not a flashy on again and off again sprint. To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord we need to reflect the steady progress of the plodding turtle in that famous fable, not the boastful and inconsistent speediness of the rabbit that came in a distant second because of his prideful antics.
TRANS: But we also need to realize that we cannot please God by depending on our own strength. We cannot grow in the Lord simply by relying on the power of our will. That is why in Paul’s prayer he reminds us that if we are truly living to please God in all respects, others ought to be able to see:
III. That God’s Power Is Instilled Within Us
ILL: Occasionally when I am traveling at night I listen to a call in sports program on the radio. The star of these shows is not the coaches or the athletes that play the games. The star is the armchair quarterback and armchair coach that call in with their opinion of what some sports player or coach needs to do in order to make the better team. These armchair coaches and quarterbacks may have some ideas that are good. But they do not have the power to make any changes to any team. In their own strength all they can do is critique what is beyond their ability to do.
APP: We need to realize that in our own strength, we have no more power to live the Christian life than an armchair quarterback has to play for Mark Bulger in this afternoon’s Rams game. That is why Paul prayed that the Colossians would be strengthened with all power. In our own strength we cannot live the Christian life in a way that pleases God. But when we allow God’s power to be instilled within us, we will find we have all the strength we need to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
EXP: In v11 Paul assures the Colossians that our Lord is more than willing to strengthen them with all power, according to His glorious might. The term “glorious might” is a reference to the power God used to raise Jesus from the dead. The implications of this are clear. If the power of God’s glorious might was able to raise Jesus from the dead, God certainly has the power we need to make whatever change we need to make in our life for God’s glory. Our will power may not be enough to allow us to stop drinking, gossiping, smoking or using bad language. But God’s power is more than enough to give us the victory over whatever besetting sin we may face in our life.
EXP: In v11, when Paul talks about being strengthened with all power he is reminding us that God has the power to help us in all aspects of our life. We often think about seeking strengthening from the Lord when we face a specific spiritual task like witnessing or teaching a Sunday School class. And God certainly wants to empower us for these acts of service. But an even more powerful display of God’s power is when we trust the Lord to give us the strength to remain committed to the Lord in the practical affairs of life. When God’s power is truly instilled within us we will grow in our patience with subordinates on the job, we will increase in our compassion for kids at school that have few friends, we will find it easier to be kind to others in big and small ways.
APP: When we live our daily lives “as unto the Lord” we honor God and testify to the greatness of God’s power by doing our work joyously with steadfastness and patience. This is as much a part of our Christian witness as our ability to recite Bible verses or our faithfulness in tithing. When we are depending on God’s power instilled within us, others will be able to see God more clearly and any word of witness we share will be more powerful and convincing.
TRANS: A final aspect of Paul’s prayer for the growth of believers is often overlooked. But it is as important as any other:
IV. That God’s Grace Is Appreciated by Us
ILL: One of the favorite hymns of many at Star Hope admonishes us to do something we do not do frequently enough, “Count your blessings”. The words of the hymn admonish followers of Christ to remember with thankfulness all the good things God has given them. But when Paul admonished the Colossian believers to be thankful in v12, he went much deeper. He directed them to recognize and appreciate the magnificent grace gift He offers all people, the eternal redemption that God accomplished in Jesus Christ.
EXP: Five life-changing aspects of God’ grace gift to mankind are stressed in these final three verses.
§ First, in v12 Paul reminds us to appreciate the fact that God has “qualified us” to share in the inheritance of the redeemed. We cannot receive salvation without Christ first calling us through His Holy Spirit. We need to be grateful for God’s patient calling in our lives.
§ Then, in v13 Paul reminds us how God’s grace has “delivered us from the domain of darkness.” This past week President Obama honored a group of Vietnam veterans who risked their lives in a heroic way to deliver their fellow soldiers from the darkness of a Viet Cong ambush that left them hopelessly vulnerable. None of these men would have survived had these brave soldiers not volunteered to risk their life to break through enemy strongholds and deliver them into safety. That is precisely what Jesus did for us with one significant difference; Jesus gave His life to deliver us. Unless we grow in our appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, it is doubtful that we will grow much in our usefulness to the Kingdom of God.
§ A third thing God’s grace has done for us mentioned in v13 is to transfer us from the domain of darkness to a much better place; the kingdom of His beloved Son. As instantaneously as Scotty beamed Captain Kirk out of dangerous situations to the safety of the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek, God has transferred us from the dark world of sin to a place of safety in Jesus Christ. The power of sin has been broken.
§ Paul goes on in v14 to remind us that through God’s grace we “have redemption”. We are no longer slaves to sin. This graphic description of salvation congers up the image of a slave who is under the domain of a hard and cruel master. He has no power to negotiate his own release. But then Jesus Christ intercedes and pays the price necessary to set him free. That is precisely what Jesus has done for us. We need to appreciate God’s grace because our Lord did something nobody else could do for us. He set us free from the power of sin. Of course, we can still act like we are slaves to sin if we choose to. But why would any free person choose to act like a slave? It would make no sense. It also makes no sense for a believer to allow sin to enslave them when Jesus Christ has paid such a high price to set us free.
§ Finally, Paul points out that God’s grace means a complete and total “forgiveness of sins.” Forgiveness means the removal of the barrier that sin places between man and God. Through His amazing grace Jesus Christ has opened the way for our access to unhindered fellowship with God,
No wonder Paul saw appreciation of God’s grace as essential to our spiritual growth. Only as we come to appreciate the significance of our salvation will we be motivated to make the hard choices we must make to grow as believes and walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
CONCLUSION
It is said that true maturity is attained by proceeding through four stages; help me, tell me, show me and follow me. Wherever you are in that process, our Lord stands ready to take you to the next level.
§ If you need help to discover what it means to have your sins forgiven, Jesus stands ready to enter into your heart and redeem your soul.
§ If you need to be told where to go from here, God’s Holy Spirit is here to help you better understand God’s will for you.
§ If you need to be shown a better way, Jesus Christ offers His life as an example we can follow to learn to walk in a manner worthy of His amazing grace.
§ And if you need a new challenge to bring greater meaning into you life, I know of no better challenge than to become a fisher of men as you call out to those in need of salvation, “follow me.”
Paul’s “Prayer to Grow On” challenges us to be so much more than saved. We need to remember that we are saved for a reason. That reason is to become living tools our Lord can use to advance His Kingdom as others without Christ seek Christ because of the love of God they observe in your life and mine. How well can others see Jesus in you? Are you really walking in a manner worthy of all that Jesus Christ has done for you? Are you truly delivered from the domain of darkness? Think about your spiritual needs this morning as we go to the Lord in prayer.
PRAYER
INVITATION
Our invitation is to respond to Paul’s “prayer to grow on” by making the commitment you need to make to grow in the Lord. Whatever spiritual commitment you need to make to grow more valuable to God’s kingdom work, consider making that commitment now as we begin to sing our invitation hymn.
