“Growing Up in Christ” Colossians 1:9-14
We looked at the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae, praising God for their renowned faith, hope and love in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though he never met any of them personally except Epaphras, the church planter and evangelist who was from Paul’s Ephesus congregation.
Today we continue in Colossians 1:9-14: “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Filled with the Knowledge of God’s Will
In Paul’s day, he did not receive regular emails or newsletters concerning the saints in Colossae, but that did not prevent him from being persistent in his prayer for these believers in the Lord, being concerned for their spiritual health, welfare and growth in the faith. Paul is under the direction of the Spirit as he shares this Godly desire in verse 9 that the saints “would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will”; that is also God’s desire for us believers.
To be “filled” is to be lacking nothing. If you eat a meal and you are filled up, there isn’t room for anything else. Paul’s prayer and God’s desire is that we “lack nothing” when it comes to the knowledge of His will for our lives. The word in our text is most often translated as “fulfilled” (or you might say, F-U-L-L-filled); it often refers to Jesus in His Life and Work in completing all of the promises which God made in the Old Testament as Savior/Redeemer. Jesus did not lack anything; there is not a vacuum to be filled because Jesus “filled up” all of God’s requirements. God wants us to be filled up with the Knowledge of HIS WILL.
Pagan cultural ideas and philosophies had been plaguing the Early Church including Colossae, much like that of today. These battles centered on the concept of “knowledge”. Gnosticism (from the Greek word for “knowledge”, “Epignosis”,) in the first century was a mixture of Greek philosophy, mysticism and other religions and influences. The main thoughts that attacked the Church were these:
1. The material world is bad, the spirit world is good. (a dualism) The material world is under the control of evil, ignorance or nothingness. This is wrong according to the Bible that the spirit-world has the devil and thousands of fallen angels who revolted against God. The material world was all made good, but after sin it became tainted. There are many things in the physical world that God has created for our godly enjoyment and benefit.
2. Salvation is through a secret knowledge by which individuals come to know themselves, their origin and destiny. A divine spark is somehow trapped in some (but not all) humans and it alone, of all that exists in this material world, is capable of redemption. According to God’s Word Salvation comes through faith in the work and word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10 :17 tells us: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We know ourselves by the revelation of scripture and that we need a Savior, unable to save ourselves. Salvation, knowledge and wisdom of are plainly revealed in the Bible to anyone who will seek God.
“3.Since a good God could not have created an evil world, it must have been created by an inferior, ignorant or evil god. Usually the explanation given is that the true, good God created or emanated beings (Archons) who either emanated other Archons or conjugated to produce them until a mishap by Sophia (Wisdom) led to the creation of the evil Archon who created our world and pretends to be God. He hides truth from humans, but sparks of Sophia in some humans fill them with an urge to return to the Pleroma (divine realm) where they belong.” (www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/gnosticism)
Again this statement does not agree with God’s Word. God created the world and everything in it and it was good. God is incapable of creating sin. The devil was one of God’s Highest angels and he became jealous of God. Because of this, God cast Him and his angels out God’s presence and the devil and his angels were permitted to roam the earth. Satan deceived Adam and Eve, but it was no surprise to God. His Wisdom to save through a Savior was planned before all time and eternity. God does not hide His wisdom in Christ; many people refuse to accept it because like satan, they prefer to be autonomous and not submit to God’s dominion.
Gnostic beliefs were in total disagreement with the scriptures of the Old Testament, and that of the Apostles in the early Church (and New Testament). Listen to this; Proverbs 2:6 so clearly teaches us: “For the LORD gives wisdom (that would be “Sophia in Greek); from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Listen to Paul’s prayer request again in verse 9, asking God “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The wisdom (Sophia) of God to sinful man is first of all in the person of Jesus, and it is from God’s mouth, The Lord Jesus, the Word, that we receive knowledge of His will and spiritual understanding, which comes ONLYtrhough the Holy Spirit. God spoke His wisdom to us in the person and work of Jesus. He is God’s Word in the flesh (the Word Incarnate) who came to earth as God’s mouthpiece. Hebrews 1:1-2 teaches us: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” The knowledge of God’s Will and His wisdom come from His Word and Spirit.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. The Church in Corinth struggled with similar issues. Look at verse 22: “For Jews request a sign,(perform a sign and we will believe; This has always been the case and God requires belief without evidence, right? That’s what faith is and that is what Israel lacked, and in Jesus’ ministry, when the Jews asked for more signs, He said, “I already gave you signs and you didn’t believe; NO MORE SIGNS.”) and Greeks seek after wisdom;(typical of Greek philosophy-goal toward special knowledge or wisdom.) 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification (or holiness) and redemption.” 31 Therefore, Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Here is the summary of these verses: Christ crucified is God’s wisdom for us. Christ crucified is the power that saves us and transforms folly into spiritual understanding. We are IN CHRIST (30) and his righteousness, holiness/sanctification, and redemption belong to us; The greatest treasure of God’s knowledge and wisdom and spiritual understanding HAVE BEEN GIVEN to us by faith through the work of Jesus. Christ crucified gives us what we could never attain on our own; It is not how much uou do or how much you know but who you know! Knowing and Believing Jesus and what He has done for you is everything.
God wants us to be filled with the knowledge of His Will. A person’s will is what he wishes for or has determined shall be done. God’s will in Christ is to accomplish His purpose in blessing and redeeming sinful man. Jesus has done that for us. But God’s will is also what God wishes to be done by us in response to knowing Him: How we should live in relationship to Him and in fellowship with Him and others? We find God’s Will for our live in His commands and precepts which He has graciously given to us and we absolutely will NOT find them anywhere else but in His Word. They don’t come by meditation (although we should meditate ON HIS WORD); they are not mystical, they’re not floating around in the air, the answer is NOT “blowing in the wind”. We don’t find an itinerary or menu spelled out for us to follow (for example, God’s Word isn’t going to tell us what to eat, which way to turn at the corner, what school to attend or what job we should take.) His will is His Word and we have that.
Walk Worthy
Look at the next phrase in verse 10; Here is God’s will for us: “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” When the Bible speaks about “walking”, it is talking about “the way in which you are living”. The idea of the Greek word here also has the connotation of progressing or growing. Ephesians 5:8 teaches us this as well: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Don’t live as unbelievers but live as believers, who have been illuminated by the Light of the World, the Lord Jesus Himself. As we live,we “walk” with the Lord Jesus.
To walk worthy of the Lord has nothing to do with earning your salvation or God’s approval. “Worthy” is the word, “axios”, meaning “having weight or value”. The word has the connotation of “bringing into balance” but the thought of merit is totally excluded. We never “merit” or deserve anything good from God. He doesn’t sit there waiting for us to get cleaned up so that we are “good enough” to deserve His loving attention. He loves us in our horrible mess and makes us His. We are “worthy” of the gospel only as we receive His love and forgiveness. If we reject it, we are not “worthy” because we have not accepted it. John 1:12 tells us: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” God gives to us the right, the authority, the worthiness to be His Children.
At the very heart of it, “walking worthy of the Lord” is something that is pretty logical.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 says it clearly: “Walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” Your life should carry with it the weight or value of being a member of God’s Kingdom. With all the ability that we have within us as Children of the Most High God, we should strive to be “fully pleasing” to the One who has saved us. That’s logical too, isn’t it! Before we were saved our striving was for self-satisfaction; now we live to please our Lord.
If your life is Christ-centered, straining to be “fully pleasing” to God, the result will include the next phrase, namely, “being fruitful in every good work.” In John 5:5 Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Bearing fruit is characteristic of saving faith and being a branch attached to the vine. Bearing fruits of righteousness is a natural result of abiding in Christ.
Ephesians 5:9-10 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” Galatians 5:22-23 further describes this this: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” There is no statute of limitations or restrictions on being fruitful for the Lord and His Kingdom.
We should be GRATEFULLY producing fruit because it is the natural thing to do. Listen to Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God created us in Christ in order to produce pleasing fruit for Him.
As we walk with Him and produce fruit FOR Him, we increase in the knowledge of God as He speaks to us from His Word. Prayer is our conversation to God and reading, studying and meditating on His word is the means by which He speaks to us. Any good relationship is going to include two way communication, and so in order to increase and grow in our knowledge of God, we have to put ourselves in the right position as listeners of the Word and petitioners in prayer.
Strengthened by God’s Glorious Power
We know that we can do nothing to save ourselves and we are also powerless to please God in our own strength; Verse 11 tells us that we are “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.(Chara)” The word “might” (often translated “power”) is God’s dynamic power (dunamis, from which we get the word, dynamite.) Any and all power on earth is submissive and weak compared to the Power of God. There is no power that God has not first enabled. There is no power on earth that is able to create, to save, to provide and sustain like God’s power; Here God promises to furnish and fortify us by His Mighty Power.
The word for power (“according to His glorious POWER”) is “Kratos” which is God’s Dynamic RULE and Dominion. God’s Dynamic rule is over all of the created order so supplying you with your needs takes no effort on God’s part. There is not one square inch in this universe which does not belong to God and His Dynamic Rule. Everything belongs to Him; He tells us that we belong to Him are precious in His sight: How precious are we? He sent His one of a Kind Eternal Son to die for us. That’s how precious we are and how powerful He is. The power and Rule of our God is infinite and omnipotent and will strengthen us to endure patiently and joyfully in any and all trials. This is God’s daily example to us of His faithfulness to provide present and future grace.
We Glory in Gospel Gratitude
We close with the short chorus of Gospel Gratitude in verses 12-13: “Giving thanks (the tense is an ongoing way of life), always giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” The Gospel of God’s saving grace in Christ gives us the greatest reason to live lives of continual thanks. We didn’t make ourselves worthy to inherit salvation, sainthood, nor sonship to God. He chose us and equipped us to be part of His Family and Kingdom: That‘s the Gospel. Chosen/Adopted by God, saved by God, preserved by God.
Verses 13-14 continue to explain this reality: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us (transported us) into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” God is the one who brings people from spiritual death to spiritual life. The power of darkness is being dead in sin and dead people can do nothing to help themselves. God delivers us from death and transports us by His power into the Kingdom of His Son, and it is in Jesus alone that we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, the most powerful gift of God’s grace and wisdom.
So as we live our lives, moment by moment and day by day, we glory in Gratitude for this saving Gracious Gospel, walking in the God-given strength by His Eternal Holy Spirit in us and by the Light of His Word; Our greatest desire is to be “fully pleasing to Him” with lives that mirror our Savior as we grow up in faith, knowledge and obedience in Christ Jesus our Lord.
OUTLINE
I. God’s desire is that we be filled with the knowledge of His will, lacking nothing.
A. One enemy of the Church was Gnosticism, “Epignosis”.
1. “The material world is bad, the spirit world is good.
2. Salvation is through a secret knowledge.
3. Since a good God could not have created an evil world, it must have been created an evil god. (Proverbs 2:6)
B. The knowledge of God’s Will and His wisdom come from His Word and Spirit.
(Heb 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians1:22-30-the Wisdom of God is Christ!)
C. Christ Crucified: It is not how much you know but who you know!
II. “That you may walk worthy of the Lord.”
A. “Walking” is “the way in which you are living”. (Eph 5:8)
B. We are “worthy” of the gospel only as we receive it. If we reject it, we are not “worthy” because we have not received it. (John 1:12)
C. “Walking worthy”: Your life should carry with it the weight or value of being a member of God’s Kingdom, “fully pleasing”. 1Thess.2:12
D. Gratefully produce fruit because God created us in Christ in order to do so.
(Eph. 5:9-10,2:10, Gal 5:22-23)
E. We increase in the knowledge of God as we walk, listen, please and produce.
III. We are Strengthened by God’s Glorious power. (Vs. 11)
A. “Might” (dunamis) is God’s dynamic power.
B. “Power” (“kratos”) is God’s dynamic RULE and Dominion.
C. The Power and Rule of our God is infinite and omnipotent and will strengthen us to endure patiently and joyfully.
IV. We Glory in Gospel Gratitude
A. God qualified(equipped) us to inherit salvation, sainthood, and sonship. (13)
B. Giving thanks and living in the light of His redemption.(14)
C. Our greatest desire is to be “fully pleasing to Him” with lives that mirror our Savior as we grow up in faith, knowledge and obedience Christ Jesus our Lord
