Introduction
I want to begin by asking: If God has already saved you, what should you pray for?
If you are a Christian, you read your Bible daily.
If you are a Christian, you pray daily.
If you are a Christian, you presumably have a prayer list.
And so I ask again: If God has already saved you, what should you pray for?
We are studying Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae from his prison confinement in Rome in about 62 AD.
He wrote to the Christians because he wanted to correct the false teaching that was beginning to circulate in this young church, less than 10 years old.
After greeting the Colossian Christians and thanking God for them, Paul assured them that he and his coworkers had not ceased praying for them.
Scripture
Let’s read Colossians 1:9-14:
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Lesson
Colossians 1:9-14 teaches us that because believers are in Christ, we must pray to be filled with the knowledge of his will so we can walk worthily of the Lord.
Let us use the following outline:
1. The Content of Prayer (1:9)
2. The Purpose of Prayer (1:10-12)
3. The Basis of Prayer (1:13-14)
I. The Content of Prayer (1:9)
First, notice the content of prayer.
Paul tells the Colossian Christians the content of his prayer for them.
He says in verse 9, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Paul prayed that the Colossians would have Spirit-given knowledge of God’s will.
God speaks to his people through his word.
Many Christians today want God to bless what they want to do, instead of submitting to what God has revealed in his word about what they should do.
William Barclay has rightly said:
“It so often happens that in prayer we are really saying: ‘Your will be changed’ when we ought to be saying: ‘Your will be done.’ The ?rst objective of prayer is not so much to speak to God as to listen to him” (William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible [Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003], 125).
Take a look at what you pray for.
Do you ask God to bless your circumstances?
Do you ask God to give you certain things?
There is a place for praying for our daily bread.
But notice that is not where Paul starts.
Paul teaches us to pray that we would have Spirit-given knowledge of God’s will.
Why should we pray for Spirit-given knowledge of God’s will?
Have you come across a person who professes to be a Christian?
That person seems to know the Bible really well.
That person can quote chapter and verse for all kinds of situations.
But in reality, that person doesn’t live very differently from a person who does not profess to be a Christian.
That person uses God’s name in vain.
That person fudges the truth.
That person says things about others that would never be said in their presence.
Paul does not want a knowledge of God’s will for its own sake.
Paul wants knowledge of God’s will that changes how we live.
II. The Purpose of Prayer (1:10-11)
Second, the purpose of prayer.
Paul tells the Colossians the purpose of his prayer for them.
He says in verse 10a that the reason he prays that they will have a Spirit-given knowledge of God’s will is “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.”
Paul wants the Christians in Colossae to know God’s will.
But, even more important, he wants them to do God’s will.
Paul wants the Christians to live for the Lord.
In that culture, Christians stood out as they lived wholeheartedly for the Lord.
It is no different today.
Some people profess Christ, but they do not possess Christ.
How can one tell whether a person is merely professing Christ or truly possesses Christ?
One can see it in their actions.
A person who professes Christ will say that he or she believes in Jesus and attends worship services.
On the other hand, a person who possesses Christ will demonstrate that in four ways indicated by the four Greek participles that describe a worthy walk.
A. A Worthy Walk Bears Fruit (1:10b)
First, a worthy walk bears fruit.
Paul said that a Christian who is walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is “bearing fruit in every good work”(v. 10b).
This is the inevitable fruit of union with Christ.
Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Fruit shows itself in a person’s life.
If there is no fruit, then it is right to question whether the person professing faith in Christ actually possesses Christ.
What will that fruit look like?
At its core, “bearing fruit in every good work” involves an ongoing transformation because of union with Christ.
In practice, it is increasingly seen in daily life.
For example, it is seen in kindness in the home.
It is seen in integrity at work.
It is seen in love in the church.
It is seen by a growing demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
B. A Worthy Walk Increases in Knowledge (1:10c)
Second, a worthy walk increases in knowledge.
Paul said that a Christian who is walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is “increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10c).
Paul wants Christians to continue growing in knowledge.
As they grow in knowledge, they will grow in obedience.
And as they grow in obedience, they will grow in knowledge.
How does one increase in the knowledge of God?
By spending time in God’s word.
This is one of the means of grace by which God enables us to grow spiritually.
So we read his word personally.
We hear his word preached.
We spend time with other Christians studying God’s word.
Let me encourage you, if you are not attending a Bible study, to get active in one.
Attend the Men’s Bible Study, the Women’s Bible Study, the Youth Ministry, or an Adult Bible Fellowship.
When I was a new Christian, I was active in a Bible study.
I cannot tell you how much I grew as a young Christian by learning with and from other Christians.
I encourage you to get involved in a Bible study so you can grow in your knowledge of God.
C. A Worthy Walk Is Strengthened (1:11a)
Third, a worthy walk is strengthened.
Paul said that a Christian who is walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might” (v. 11a).
Paul wants Christians to be “strengthened with all power.”
The word “strengthened” is passive, which means that the strengthening comes from outside the Christian.
Indeed, it comes from God.
He is the one who can supply “all power, according to his glorious might.”
Recently, my five-year-old granddaughter wanted to open a juice box.
However, she was not strong enough to open it.
After struggling for a while, she handed me the juice box and asked me to open it, which I did.
In time, of course, she will get stronger and open it for herself.
But at this point, she needs my help.
Christians tend to want to do things without God’s help.
So, we struggle without success.
Much better to stop and ask God to open the way for us so that we can be more effective in our service to him.
D. A Worthy Walk Grows in Endurance, Patience, and Joy (1:11b)
And fourth, a worthy walk grows in endurance, patience, and joy.
Paul said that a Christian who is walking in a manner worthy of the Lord has “all endurance and patience with joy” (v. 11b).
Paul asked God that the Colossian Christians may possess three great qualities: “endurance,” “patience,”and “joy.”
“Endurance” (hupomone) means not only the ability to bear things but the ability, in bearing them, to turn them into glory.
It is the ability to triumph over anything life can throw at us.
“Patience” (makrothumia) basically refers to patience with people.
It is the attitude that never loses patience with, belief in, or hope for others.
And “joy” (chara) is a radiant and sunny-hearted attitude to life.
It is deeply rooted in a relationship with Christ that overflows in every circumstance.
William Barclay, commenting on this verse, writes:
“So the Christian prayer is: ‘Make me, O Lord, victorious over every circumstance; make me patient with every person; and give me the joy which no circumstance and no one will ever take from me’ ” (William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible [Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003], 128).
French Reformed believers (Huguenots) in the 16th-17th centuries suffered severe persecution—loss of property, exile, and death.
Yet many continued to meet secretly, sing psalms, and confess the Reformed faith.
Their endurance was not stoic strength but exactly what Paul describes: “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”
Their lives showed that a worthy walk is often costly, yet possible, because God supplies the power.
Let me suggest you ask yourself the following questions:
• “Is my life bearing fruit, or just busy?”
• “Am I growing in actually knowing God, or stuck?”
• “Do I rely on God’s strength, or burn out on my own?”
• “Do I endure with joy, or only with complaint?”
So, Paul prays that Christians will have a Spirit-given knowledge of God’s will to walk worthily of the Lord.
But he does not root this in guilt or fear.
Paul roots it in what God has already done for Christians.
III. The Basis of Prayer (1:12—14)
And third, the basis of prayer.
Paul says in verse 12-14, “…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Paul grounds his prayer in what the Father has already done for Christians.
Paul moves from petition to thanksgiving.
Paul knows that the entire Christian life is based on what God has done for us rather than on what we have done for God.
Paul notes three bases for prayer.
A. The Father Has Qualified You (1:12)
First, the Father has qualified you.
Paul said in verse 12, “...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Paul encourages the Colossian Christians to give thanks to their heavenly Father because he has enabled them to receive the gift of salvation.
They did nothing to earn or deserve it.
They received salvation because of God’s grace.
This thanks parallels Paul’s thanks for the Colossians in verse 3.
It serves as a bookend for the introductory prayer.
Imagine a young man standing outside a massive, radiant palace on a hill.
For years, he has lived in a dark valley below, chained by guilt, shame, and a sense that he will never be enough.
One day, a royal messenger arrives and cuts his chains, telling him, “The King’s Son has paid everything for you. The King has adopted you. You are wanted at the palace.”
The young man hesitates at the palace gate, feeling unworthy.
He looks at his torn clothes and remembers what he has done.
But the King himself steps out, places a clean robe on his shoulders, and says, “You are qualified. You belong here, not because of what you have done, but because of what my Son has done for you.”
As the young man walks into the bright halls of the palace, he sees other people in white garments, shining in the light, rejoicing and singing.
He realizes he is not merely a guest; he is an heir, sharing the same inheritance as all the others who have been brought out of the valley of darkness into this kingdom of light.
Overwhelmed, he falls to his knees—not begging, but thanking.
His words are simple: “Father, thank You. I could never have opened these gates. I could never have earned this place. You qualified me. You brought me here. All of this light, all of this future, is a gift.”
His life from that day is marked by joyful gratitude, not to repay the gift, but because he never forgets who brought him into this inheritance.
B. The Father Has Delivered You (1:13a)
Second, the Father has delivered you.
Paul says in verse 13a, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness....”
Being delivered from the domain of darkness means God rescues a person from a spiritual realm ruled by sin, deception, and opposition to God, and brings them under the loving rule of Christ’s light.
In darkness, people may feel free, but spiritually they are enslaved—unable to see God clearly, shaped by lies, and trapped in patterns of sin.
Deliverance is entirely God’s work through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
He breaks Satan’s claim, cancels the guilt of sin, and changes our spiritual address.
We still face temptation, but the authority has shifted—Satan is no longer our master; Christ is.
I heard the story recently of an Israeli who was kept captive in an underground tunnel.
There was no natural light.
His guards were cruel and unkind.
But then one day, a rescuer broke in and cut his chains and carried him to freedom and light and life.
His incredible joy is the kind of joy that marks what Christians feel when they are delivered from the domain of darkness.
C. The Father Has Transferred You (1:13b-14)
And third, the Father has transferred you.
Paul says in verses 13b-14, “…and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
The blood of Christ has purchased believers.
They have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.
They no longer belong to Satan, but now belong to God.
Moreover, the penalty for their sins has been paid, so that their sins have been forgiven.
Their freedom from sin is also a freedom to serve.
Commentator William Barclay writes,
“In the ancient world, when one empire won a victory over another, it was the custom to take the population of the defeated country and transfer every man, woman, and child to the conqueror’s land. Thus, the people of the northern kingdom were taken away to Assyria, and the people of the southern kingdom were taken away to Babylon. So Paul says that God has transferred the Christians to his own kingdom. That was not only a transference but a rescue. It meant four special things: (a) It meant a transference from darkness to light.... (b) It meant a transference from slavery to freedom.... (c) It meant a transference from condemnation to forgiveness.... (d) It meant a transference from the power of Satan to the power of God (William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed., fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible [Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003], 129–130).
Now, as God’s people, we have a new position, a new purpose, and a new perspective.
Our eyes have been opened as we recognize the hopeless estate from which we have been saved.
We are free from our slavery to sin and are now free to serve Christ and fulfill his will.
What an incredible reason to thank God for our salvation.
Conclusion
We pray to God to be filled with the knowledge of his will so we can walk worthily of the Lord, resting on what God has already done for us.
If you are a Christian, make Paul’s prayer your prayer this week.
Colossians 1:9-11 can be your daily prayer.
Ask God to make this true for you and for your church.
And if you are not yet a Christian, if you still feel in darkness, far from God, this passage holds out a Savior who can deliver you and transfer you today.
Come to Jesus, the beloved Son, in whom alone there is redemption for the forgiveness of your sins. Amen.
