Above All: Colossians 4:2-6
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
08-14-2022
Hopelessly Devoted to You
On Tuesday, we lost another one of my childhood artist. Olivia Newton John lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 71.
She was a four time Grammy award winning singer with five number one hits and was even knighted by the Queen. But most of us first met her as Sandy in the movie Grease.
One of those songs has been stuck in my head this week as I prepared this sermon. She sat on the steps and sang:
"I know I'm just a fool who's willing / To sit around and wait for you / But baby, can't you see there's nothing else for me to do? /
I'm hopelessly devoted to you.”
Sandy was hopeless in love with her new bad boy crush Danny, played by John Travolta. She was devoted, committed, ALL IN - it gave her chills that were multiplying.
Paul is going to move from instructions on how the Colossian believers were to live individually, corporately as a church, and in the households to how they focus outwardly on the unsaved people around them.
Turn with me to Colossians 4.
Living on a Prayer
Prayer is part of every major religion. Muslims pray toward Mecca. Jewish people pray at the Wailing Wall. For Buddhist, prayer is the act of emptying the mind.
But just like the disciples, many of us still feel inadequate in the area of prayer.
Richard Halverson lists four reasons that we shy away from prayer:
1. Unbelief – we simply doubt that God is listening or that He cares
2. Indifference – if God already knows, then why pray?
3. Priorities – we are too caught up in this world.
4. It’s difficult – pray is hard work and takes discipline. Maxine’s mom and stepdad would pray all night. I have trouble praying for 20 mins!
Dr. Adrian Rogers wrote this:
“The greatest problem we face is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer. Tragically, many of our prayers are so vague that if God were to answer them, we wouldn’t even know it.”
Let me go back to number two - if God already knows, then why pray?
One of my favorite books on prayer is “If God Already Knows, Why Pray?” by Dr. Doug Kelly, my systematical theology professor in seminary.
I think that is the question that a lot of people have. If God already know what we are going to ask before we ask it, what good is it for me to tell Him something He already knows?
Scripture says that God knows us before we are born (Psalm 139:15-16), knows every hair on our head (Luke 12:7), and knows our thoughts before we think them (Psalm 139:2).
We don’t pray in order to inform God of any new information. We pray as children to a Father. Prayer keeps our hearts in touch with God. Prayer changes us and aligns us with His will. And God has conditioned our receiving things from Him through prayer. Prayer is the expression of our total dependence on God for everything.
We can trust that God hears us (Psalm 16). We can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us pray when we are at a loss for words (Romans 8:26).
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to:
“…approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Let me make one caveat. If you are not a Christian, then you can have no confidence that God hears your prayers. Because our sins separate us from God, in our unredeemed state, we have no right to approach Him. But at the cross, our sins were paid for and the righteousness of Christ was applied to our account. He not only opened the door to the Throne room for you but He is praying for you, right now!
“He [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
Robert Murray McCheyne wrote:
“If I could hear Jesus praying in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no distance. He is praying for me.”
In seminary, I had to study the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
What is prayer?
“Prayer is the offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.”
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.
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.”
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.
The text breaks down into two parts:
Talking to God about people
Talking to people about God
All In on Prayer
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (v. 2)
Paul makes it clear that believers should see prayer as foundational to their Christian life. This is part of setting our minds and hearts on things that are above.
How are we to do this? Paul gives three ways.
Devoted
We are to be devoted in prayer. This word means “strength or mighty power” and has the idea of attaching oneself to something over a long period of time.
Ron Hill, of Accrington, England made a decision on December 20, 1964 to be a streaker. No, not that kind of streaker. On that day, he ran a mile and for the next 52 years and 39 days he ran at least a mile until he had to stop at the age of 78 because of heart problems.
People show their devotion to sports teams. Every year, Duke students camp out as long as six weeks to get a ticket to the Duke vs North Carolina game.
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher were devoted to each other in marriage for almost 87 years!!!
Paul commands the Colossian believers to be diligent, vigilant, and persistent in their prayers.
Jesus told a parable to His disciples to show that they should always pray and never give up:
“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” (Luke 18:2-5)
Jesus explains the parable by saying:
“And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (Luke 18:6-8)
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul encourages the believers to "pray continually." (I Thes 5:17) This means a habit of the heart that we cultivate.
This highlights the incredible privilege we have of praying to a
God who is attentive and listens to our prayers.
Moses exclaims:
“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Duet 4:7)
God said through the prophet Jeremiah:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Jer 33:3)
And David wrote in his journal:
“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2)
Jesus encouraged us to persist in our prayers:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt 7:7-11)
The verb tense in these verses mean that we should continually ask, keep on seeking, and bang on the door for as long as it takes.
David wrote:
O LORD, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.” (Psalm 88:13)
Sometimes we can get discouraged because, from our vantage point, it looks like nothing is happening.
But remember John Piper’s wise words - “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and at any give time you may be aware of three of them.”
Maxine prayed for her dad for thirty years before he came to faith in Christ. We are still praying for her sisters.
The church was born in prayer (Acts 1:14) and bathed in prayer for the beginning:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
If the ALL IN five week series is going to be spiritual effective, we need to make a commitment to pray.
Robin Perkins leads a prayer time on Sunday morning at 8:30 am. All are welcome and encouraged to come and pray.
We will have a night of prayer and praise on Wednesday August 21 at 6:30 pm to prepare us for what God is going to do this fall.
What are we supposed to pray about? Paul told the Ephesian believers:
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph 6:18)
Does this mean you can pray about anything? Yes, anything! But, in particularly, pray for “all the Lord’s people.”
We should be lifting each other up daily. Paul describes Epaphras, the one who started the church in Colossae and was in prison with Paul as:
“…who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” (Col 4:12)
I want to make an admission before we move on. In October, my dad and stepmom died, then I lost Shiann, then I spent six months trying to deal with the fact that my parents gave away over $200,000 dollars to scammers, then my friend Les went to heaven, and then my friend Duane died.
I may look okay on the outside but I’m not okay on the inside. I’ve been dealing with sadness and grief quietly but it has effected my prayer life and I haven’t been the shepherd to this church the way I need to be.
I ask your forgiveness for this and also ask you to pray for me as I deal open and honestly about my struggles.
watchful
We are not only to be devoted to prayer but also watchful. This word means to be alert or awake. The actual Greek word is “Gregorio”. It carries with it the idea of being alert to the fact that Jesus is going to come back. In the early church, many parents started naming their children “Gregory.”
Peter wrote:
“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (I Peter 1:14)
And
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” (I Peter 4:7)
If we truly understood that Jesus is coming back, it will give our prayers a sense of urgency.
Concerning when He will be coming back, Jesus told His disciples:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:32-37)
In the Garden, Jesus prayed earnestly for God the Father to let the cup of suffering pass and when He returned to His disciples he found them sleeping:
“Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:40-41)
We are to pray with persistence, urgency, and finally, gratitude.
thankful
Thankfulness has been a theme throughout Colossians. How can we not be thankful when we have died with Christ, have been buried with Christ, have been risen in Christ, have been hidden in Christ, and will be appear with Christ in glory!
As Jesus was going into a village, He encountered ten lepers pleading for healing. He healed them but He was surprised and disappointed that only one came back to say thank you. (See Luke 17:11-19)
David wrote of his thankfulness in his journal:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)
Thank God specifically for all the good things that He has given us.
What does Paul ask them to pray about explicitly? Open doors!
Open Doors
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Col 4:3-4)
Paul asked for prayer for the missions team he leads - Timothy, Aristarchus, Epaphras and others.
Even though Paul is in prison, he doesn’t pray that the doors of the prison would fly open and they would be set free. He prays for open doors for the Gospel and that they could communicate the mystery of Christ, especially the Good News that Gentiles are included in salvation, in a way that people could understand.
At the end of the letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about open doors:
"But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” (I Cor 16:8-9)
We need to be praying for divine appointments for ourselves, for me as your pastor, and for our missionaries.
Philip was in the middle of an amazing revival when God called him to go stand in the middle of the desert by a road that very few traveled.
At the same time that Philip was obedient to stand by that rode, a high ranking official from Ethiopia was returning from Jerusalem. He was sitting in his chariot, reading the scroll of Isaiah.
Philip ran beside the chariot and asked if he understood what he was reading. When the official said no, Philip climbed in the chariot, explained the Gospel to him leading to his salvation. Philip then had the honor of baptizing him!
Are you praying for open doors? Be very careful what you pray. If you pray for opportunities, God will answer that pray and we need to be ready.
D.L. Moody resolved to share the Gospel with at least one person every day of his life. There were several times that his wife watched him put on his overcoat late at night and go into the street of Chicago to share Christ with someone.
Are you praying for open doors for Dan and Christy in Mexico? Are you praying for Gospel opportunities for the Ds? Are you pray for the volunteers at Hope Pregnancy center to have a chance to pray with and share the Gospel with their clients?
To Paul, prison wasn’t an obstacle to evangelism but a platform for the proclamation of the Gospel.
In countries where preaching is illegal, many times the prayer requests of Christians put us to shame.
They do not ask that they would be released but that the guards that were torturing them would be saved through their witness.
Paul moves from talking to God about people to talking to people about God.
But before we do, let’s spend some time praying for people to become Christians.
Wise Words
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. (v.5)
One of the main complaints about Christianity from outsiders (non-Christians) is that we are hypocrites, that we don’t practice what we preach, that we don’t walk our talk.
Unfortunately, many times this is true and our behavior gives them reason to mock God:
"As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:24)
Paul gives his young protege Titus a command that we all need to take seriously:
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:8-9)
When an ambassador is sent to another country, one of the skills that he or she needs is diplomacy, the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way.
When interacting with people who don’t follow Jesus, we need to follow the example of Jesus. He didn’t shun or shame people who were “sinners.” He ate with them, hung out with them, and called them to live a better story with Him.
Remember, cows don’t lay eggs. Many times, we expect non-Christians to follow Jesus’s teachings and then get mad at them when they act like non-christians.
One of the best ways you can do this is simply be nice, be kind to everyone. In a world in which anger seems to be the most common emotion, even in church, kindness goes a long way to open doors.
Your translation may actually say, “redeeming the time.” The Greek word means to “buy back,” as the redemption of our souls.
This goes back to praying for open doors of opportunity.
Carol Troyer almost died. They were doing a scope on her throat and nicked her accidentally. I spent the night with her husband as they did emergency surgery.
A couple of days later, I visited and talked with Carol and told her that she could sue the hospital for negligence. [I wasn’t encouraging that.].
She answered, “Jeff, why would I do that? God is so good! He’s given me even more opportunities to share the Gospel with these amazing nurses and doctors.”
That is making the most of every opportunity!
Grace and Salt
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (v. 6)
full of grace
Our conversations, especially on social media, are full of hateful rhetoric and arguing about things we can’t change.
But every once in a while, there is an amazing example of grace.
[Video of batter being hit by pitcher]
Paul calls us to use our words gracefully - civilly, kindly, with a big picture view of our our conversations can be used by God to open doors.
seasoned with salt
This Greek word actually means “winsome or witty, not bland.” In other words, be interesting when you talk to non-christians.
Salt makes a person thirsty and our own mouths should water at the opportunity to share our faith.
Jesus described it this way:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matt 5:13)
Scott and Tori stood on the track and h looked her in the eye and said, “I think you can win the state track championship.” A foster kid, who had lived in twelve different homes, Tori looked around to see if he was talking to someone else. She wasn’t used to people believing in her.
She went on to win the state track championship, get a full ride scholarship to college, and become one of the 3% of foster children who graduate from college.
That same year, someone shared the Gospel with her and she was born again and filled with hope.
Today she is married with two children of her own and they recently adopted an 18 year old.
She runs the Beloved Initiative which seeks to change the narrative for youth in foster care, speaks and consults with foster care parents and organization, and just released her first book, “Foster: One Women’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family in Faster Care.”
It all started with words of grace and life from her track coach Scott who, in Tori’s words, “simply met her where she was.”
All of our words should pass through the Ephesians 4:29 grid:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph 4:29)
so that you may know how to answer every one
Your translation may say “each one.” People are individuals and they come to a Gospel conversation with different backgrounds and questions. That’s why there is no one size fits all Gospel presentation.
Peter wrote:
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15)
You can’t give away what you don’t have. You must have a basic knowledge of the gospel to share the hope you have.
But they may ask you questions that you don’t know the answers to and that’s alright. You can tell them that you will look into into and get back them. They will appreciate your honestly.
During the All In series, you will be asked to pick three people to pray for opportunities to share your faith with.
Ending Video: Strangers (Igniter Media)
Ending Song: At the Foot of the Cross (Phil Wickham)
