Above All: A Study in Colossians
Colossians 1:9-14
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
04-10-2022
Prayed For
Maxine and I have been married for almost 30 years. There are very few things I know for sure in this life but one of them is that Patrick, Maxine’s stepdad, prayed for me this morning. In fact, he has prayed for me every morning for nearly thirty years. [Slide]
Every time we talk, he reminds me that he prays for me each morning, along with Micki, and many others.
What does Patrick pray for me? Actually, he prays the verses in Colossians that we are going to study today!
Review
Last week, we began our series on Colossians and focused on the first eight verses.
We learned Paul wrote the letter, with Timothy, from Rome while he was in prison in 60 AD.
Epaphras, the founder and pastor of the church in Colossae, had come to visit Paul in Rome and tell him of the dangerous false teaching that was present in their midst.
This false teaching was a mix of Jewish legalism, Gnosticism, local folk religion, and Christianity.
Instead of Paul hammering the false teachers and the heretical teaching like in Galatians, Paul takes another tactic.
He asserts the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the head of all creation and the Church.
The first eight verses comprise the introduction. As we learned last week, Paul thanks God for the Colossians themselves - for their faith hope and love. He is thankful for the Gospel that’s bearing fruit.
And he is especially thankful for Epaphras, "our dear fellow servant and a faithful minister," the pastor of the church who has brought a report to Paul concerning their "love in the Spirit." Now this leads Paul, as it does in so many of his other letters, to prayer.
Turn with me to Colossians 1:9.
Prayer
Paul’s Prayer
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives…
"For this reason" - what reason? What he had been writing about in the first eight verses! The Colossians faith, hope, and love and the powerful effect the Gospel was having on the churches.
?"Ever since we heard about you" - who is we? Remember from verse one that Timothy was with him even though he was in prison in Rome. And also remember that Paul had never personally met these believers.
“We have not stopped praying for you and asking God" - Paul knew that the power to change situations lay in prayer. Paul’s prayers for them were regular, intense, focused, and intentional.
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul encourages the believers to "pray continually." (I Thes 5:17)
And James, the brother of Jesus, writes "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16).
What did they ask God for? "To fill you with the knowledge of His will."
The request "to be filled" means "to the top" or "controlled to the smallest detail." Have you ever been stuffed? I mean really stuffed? Several years ago, Maxine and I visited her grandmother in Louisiana for Thanksgiving. It appeared that her grandmother and aunts had cooked enough food to feed a small army. I ate until I thought I would explode.
About a half an hour after we finished eating, I waddled over to the couch to watch football. Maxine’s grandmother brought a tray in and made us sandwiches to eat while we watched the game. Was she secretly trying to kill me off? I was full!
We can not fill ourselves or expect our pastor, conferences, books, or podcasts to do it. It must be a work of God in our lives. I wonder how often we pray that people would be so full of God’s Word that they would spiritually waddle?
The word "knowledge" is an important word in the book of Colossians. Remember they are battling the heresy of the Gnostics. They had special knowledge.
You had to learn the secret handshake……the code word……and jump through their hoops……then you might join the ranks of the "special ones.”
The knowledge of what? "Of God’s will." What is God’s will for your life? Paul here is not addressing God’s will for our individual lives.
Paul prays that they would be so in tune with God and seeking Him through His Word that they would have a good understanding of what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is no secret sect knowledge but knowledge available to every believer.
How do we get that knowledge? " through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" The word wisdom is "the application of truth to experience." Or, as Dr. Frank Pollard was fond of saying, "sanctified common sense." "Understanding" means discernment, the ability to solve problems.
This wisdom and understanding would be complete,"all" (which is used 32 times in the book of Colossians) and it is spiritual. It is an understanding of life given to the believer by God himself. This is contrasted with human wisdom of the Gnostics which Paul writes when commenting on the rules and regulations these heretics were preaching:
"Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgences." (Col 2:23)
Paul then prays that their belief would affect their behavior.
4. Walk Worthy
“…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father…”
After praying that the Colossian believers would know their purpose in God’s Kingdom and practically apply that knowledge to their everyday lives, he then asked they would seek to walk the walk.
In some translations the word “live” is translated "walk." This is our philosophy of life. We are called to actually live out what we say we believe. Paul says elsewhere:
"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)
In one of my favorite old Steven Curtis Chapman songs, he sings:
“You can run with the big dogs/you can fly with the eagles/you can jump through all the hoops and climb the ladder to the top/but when it all comes down……are you walking the walk?”
The story is told of a young soldier that was caught running away from the battle. He was brought to Alexander the Great to decided his punishment. Alexander asked him what his name was and he replied, “Alexander” to which the general thundered, “Young man, either change your name or change your conduct!”
Our creed and our conduct is inseparable.
Maxine and I watched the Hillsong documentary last night and the word that came up again and again was hypocrite. The pastors were preaching one thing and living something totally different, much darker.
We do this, not to please man, but "to please God in every way."
Paul writes to the church at Corinth:
"So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." (II Cor 5:9)
Paul uses four participle phrases to help flesh out how we walk worthy.
Bearing fruit in every good work
Ephesians 2:10 says:
"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Paul prays that they would have a productive ministry. It is important to remember that we are not saved by these works, they are the fruit of salvation not the root.
Paul also tells the Ephesians:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
Jesus said that a tree is known for its fruit (Matt 12:33.). We cannot know someones’s heart but we can evaluate the fruit that they produce.
James puts in practical terms:
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:15-17)
We can not produce this fruit on our own. An apple tree does not "try" to grow fruit or go to a seminar to learn the four principles of better fruit growing. As long as the roots are deep, the tree will naturally produce what it was created to do.
Jesus said it this way:
"I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:4)
We need to pray for others that they would do more good deeds for God.
Growing in the knowledge of God
I was a senior in college when I became a Christ follower. I remember attending a prayer meeting as a baby Christian. I was scared to death that someone would ask my to pray. I just listened and learned. First, as usual, Stan rose to pray.
It went something like this: "Oh great and magnificent God, omnipotent , omnipresent, the Alpha and Omega, Thou hast ordained praise from my lips, and I am in dread of thou. Mayest thou not slay me for He has risen from the sepulcher! Bestow upon thy inheritance……" You get the picture.
My jaw was on the floor. I thought "This guy knows how to pray."
When he finished there was a short pause and then I witnessed something that changed my life. Craig, pony-tail and earring, fell to the ground and prayed a prayer similar to this: " God, dude, You are so awesome! Man I am not together and You know how many times I have failed this week. But Jesus took care of my sin. You are so awesome! I am yours……totally Yours……" then he softly rocked saying thank you. I sat trying not to stare and it suddenly occurred to me that Stan knew how to pray but Craig knew God!
This is what this knowledge is all about. Not some esoteric secret knowledge. Not intellectual theology. Not knowing about God. But having a PERSONAL, growing relationship with Him.
I have been married to Maxine for nearly thirty years now and I know her much better than the day we meet. But I have sought out relationship with her, talked to her, learned about her……why because love her! And there is still so much more to learn.
It is important to teach the Bible and doctrine and it must be done in order to facilitate growth in our personal knowledge of the Lord.
It must not just be head knowledge but also a heart knowledge……not just for information but for Divine inspiration.
We need to be praying for others to have a deeper understand of God.
Here’s a good Scripture to pray:
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, that you may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:16-19)
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”
I believe that our message come through the clearest when we exhibit endurance and patience through this world’s storms.
The idea of "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might" implies that this "Dunamas" is strength given to us by an outside source.
In Ephesians, Paul prays that they may know God’s "incomparably great power for those who believe." (Eph 1:19a)
He goes on to say that this power is the very power that God "exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead." (Eph 1:19b)
On a mission trip with the youth group a couple of years ago a junior high school gal named Ashley became very frustrated while trying to iron her shirt. She ironed and ironed it again and it was still wrinkled. Finally one of her roommates picked up the cord and announced to the whole world that it had not been plugged in the whole time.
In order to be filled with that power you must be plugged into the power source. Paul exclaims:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)
This power helps us to have "great endurance and patience." The endurance Paul is talking about is primarily the ability to continue in the face of impossible circumstances.
"Patience" is not passive waiting but "the unrelenting effort even in the face of difficulty - tenacity." This related to not impossible situations but impossible people.
What would happen to this church if we picked three people and every morning we prayed that they would get more empowerment by God?
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father.
Paul, in his "joy letter" Philippians, says to "rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice." (Phil 4:4).
A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of hearing Joni Eareckson Tada speak. Her endurance and patience are perfect examples of what Paul is praying that the world may see in us.
Paralyzed in a diving accident at age nineteen, Joni is a quadriplegic, which means she has no movement below the neck.
Joni is an internationally known speaker, writer, philanthropist, and painter (she paints with her teeth).
She told the story of being in the car (yes she can drive) and having a flat tire. She became very upset and started asking the “why me?” questions. For anyone else a flat tire is a minor event but for Joni it was a major obstacle.
She said the Lord started reminding her of how many times she had driven and not had a flat tire, how many times her car had started versus not started, how many days were filled with good as opposed to bad and she reports she began to laugh.
She said a prayer and thanked God for the flat tire because it reminded her how much we take for granted.
Patience, endurance, joyful gratitude stands out in this world of hustle, bustle, and worry and Karens.
In Philippians, Paul prays that we would
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life……" (Phil 2:14-16a)
Paul prays we would stand out and people would take notice of us and then we would point them to the real power source behind our lives - Jesus Christ.
We need to be praying that God would help those we are praying for to be more thankful in their lives.
Pastor Mike Fabarez, puts these four parts of the prayer into an acronym: DUET.
We have the privilege of partnering with others in praying for each other. And what do we pray? What Patrick prays for me every morning:
More good deeds
Deeper Understanding of God
Empowerment from God to walk worthy
Thankfulness in their lives.
Thank you for the Cross
“…who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Now we come to the second part of the prayer. Paul prays that the Colossians would joyfully give thanks to the Father for three events:
Meeting the requirements to get into heaven
"qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light".
God qualified us. There was nothing we did to earn it or deserve it.
What is the "inheritance?" As a Jew, Paul would be especially aware of God’s covenant promises of an inheritance of the Promise land.
As believers we share or become partakers in the Promised Land of Heaven.
"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade - kept in heaven for you……" (I Peter 1:3)
He then contrasts the kingdom of light with our previous address in "dead-end alleys and dark dungeons" as Eugene Peterson puts in The Message.
Being rescued from darkness
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves… “
Peter states:
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (I Peter 2:9)
Have you ever been in total darkness? In the caves in Kentucky they turned out the lights and everyone freaked out, not me, of course, that was the darkest darkness I had ever experienced physically.
Spiritually we all were held in Satan’s concentration camps of darkness. But God rescued us. Imagine the looks on the faces of the prisoners at Auschwitz when the liberation troops opened the gates and said you are free to go.
C. S. Lewis portrays this darkness in the Chronicles of Narnia. In Narnia, it is always winter but never Christmas. When Aslan the lion comes, the thaw and subsequent bloom of flowers tells the world that the kingdom of light has won.
He not only rescues us but he conveys us to the Kingdom of His Son. It is the same principle as when Nebuchadnezzar transferred the Jewish people from Judah to Babylon.
Paul says to the Ephesians:
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light……and find out what pleases him." (Eph 5:8)
For our redemption -
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins
In the book of Hosea, he is told to marry a woman named Gomer who is a prostitute. She ends up selling herself into slavery and Hosea is told by the Lord to buy her back. So he stands at the slave auction bidding on his own wife. Only love can make a man do that.
In the same way we were slaves to sin and Jesus redeemed us, not with money, but with blood - his life for ours.
Paul says
"in Jesus we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace He has lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Eph 1:7)
Paul also wrote:
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly……God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)
If you have never put your faith in Christ, then you still are living in the domain of darkness spiritually.
This morning, you can step into the light be placing your faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus.
God promises the He will forgive your sins:
“…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
Intercessory Prayer
Pastor Jim Moody states: "The most powerful thing anyone can do for someone else is to pray for them, because through prayer you and I can touch the heart of God who in turn can touch anyone, anywhere regardless of circumstances. The power is not in the prayer itself, but in the power that God releases in response to the prayer.”
Richard Foster, in his classic book on prayer, writes:
“If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is in our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Praying for others is a way of loving others.”
It is important to pray for each others physical needs. But in the Bible, out of 144 prayers, only 10% are for physical or material things. Over 90% of the prayers in the Bible are for spiritual growth. Sometimes our prayer lists can get out of balance.
You were handed a card when you came in with this Scripture on it. I would like us to spend a few minutes pray these verses over someone in your life.
Paul prayed for the Colossians even though he had never been there or met them. We can do that as well. I want to show you a great example from my mentor’s church in the Quad Cities.
Ending Video of Ukrainian couple
