As the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the church in Colossae, he doesn't start with a list of problems or a deep theological lecture. He starts with gratitude. He begins by saying, "Thank you." Paul is overflowing with thankfulness for these believers. But what is he thankful for? It wasn't their beautiful building, their large attendance, or their financial success. He was thankful for something much deeper, something that can only be produced by the power of God. He saw in them the beautiful fruit of the true Gospel.
And this morning, I want to look at the three key marks of a genuine, Gospel-centered life that Paul highlights here: Faith, Love, and Hope.
I. The Evidence We See: Faith and Love
First, look at verse 4. Paul gives thanks because he has heard of two things: their "faith in Christ Jesus" and their "love which ye have to all the saints."
These two things are the foundational evidence of a changed life.
Faith in Christ Jesus. This is the vertical relationship. It's the root system of our Christian life. Faith isn't just believing that Jesus existed; it's placing your entire trust, your reliance, your confidence in Him and Him alone for your salvation and your life. It's looking up to God and saying, "I trust You completely."
Love for all the saints. This is the horizontal relationship. It's the visible fruit that grows from the root of faith. True, saving faith in Jesus will always produce a supernatural love for His people. Notice it says love for all the saints—not just the ones who are easy to love, not just the ones who agree with you, but for the entire family of God.
You can't have one without the other. Faith is the root, and love is the fruit. A faith that doesn't produce love for others is a dead faith. A love for people that isn't rooted in faith in Jesus is just temporary humanism. The Gospel produces both, together. When Paul heard about the Colossians, he saw the evidence of a genuine work of God.
II. The Engine That Drives: Hope in Heaven
So, what fuels this faith and love? What keeps it going when life is hard? Paul tells us in verse 5: "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven."
The word "For" is key. It means "because of." Their faith and love existed because of their hope.
This isn't a flimsy, wishful-thinking kind of hope like, "I hope I get a good parking spot." The biblical word for hope is a certainty, a confident expectation of a future reality. Paul says this hope is "laid up for you in heaven." It’s like a treasure stored in a secure vault where moth and rust cannot destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal. It is absolutely safe.
This heavenly hope is the engine that drives our earthly lives.
Why can we trust Jesus today, even when we can't see the future? Because of our hope. We know our final destination is secure.
Why can we love a difficult brother or sister in Christ? Because of our hope. We know we will spend eternity with them, so we might as well start loving them now!
When your focus is fixed on the certainty of heaven, the struggles of earth become temporary. Your hope in what is to come empowers your faith and love in the here and now.
III. The Source of It All: The True Gospel
So where did this life-changing hope come from? How did these people in Colossae get it? Verses 5 and 6 give us the answer. It came from "the word of the truth of the gospel."
This is the source of everything. That hope, which fuels that faith, which produces that love—it all begins with hearing and believing the Gospel. Paul highlights two amazing things about this Gospel:
It is Universal. He says it has "come unto you, as it is in all the world." The message of Jesus isn't a secret for a select few. It's a global message of salvation for every person, in every nation, on every continent.
It is Productive. He says it "bringeth forth fruit." The Gospel is not just a collection of ideas; it is the power of God. Just like a healthy seed planted in good soil will always produce a plant, the Gospel, when it takes root in a person's heart, will always produce fruit—the fruit of faith, love, and hope.
This great change in the Colossians' lives began, Paul says, "since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth." The moment they truly understood that they were saved not by their own efforts, but by the undeserved, unearned grace of God, everything changed.
Conclusion
So, what does this mean for us today?
It means that the marks of a healthy Christian and a healthy church are the same now as they were then: A steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a genuine love for God's people, and all of it fueled by a certain hope of heaven.
All of this comes from one place: the true Gospel of God's grace.
Let's ask ourselves this morning: Is the Gospel bearing fruit in my life? Can others see evidence of my faith in Christ and my love for His people? Is my heart motivated by the secure and certain hope I have in heaven?
If you are here today and you've never truly understood this "grace of God in truth," the good news is that it has come to you, right now. It is the simple, powerful truth that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again, offering you forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift.
Let's cherish this Gospel. Let's thank God for the fruit it produces in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters. And let's be driven by our heavenly hope to live lives of faith and love, for the glory of God.
