Thanksgiving Series

Introduction

We are studying the letter of Paul to the Colossians in a sermon series I am calling, “The Peerless Christ.”

A man by the name of Epaphras had most likely been converted under Paul’s ministry during his three years in Ephesus from 52 to 55 AD.

Epaphras returned to his home in Colossae, which was 100 miles east of Ephesus, and shared the gospel with family, friends, and strangers.

It was not long before a church was established in Colossae, and Epaphras continued serving as their pastor.

After some years, false teachers began teaching Christians that Christ was not enough for continued growth. They needed more.

Epaphras then visited Paul in Rome to inform him about what was happening in Colossae and to enlist his help in teaching the believers the truth accurately about Jesus and the gospel.

So, Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in the Church of Colossae from his house arrest confinement in Rome in about 62 AD.

After opening his letter with a greeting, Paul thanked God for what he had learned from Epaphras about the Christians in the Church of Colossae.

Some anonymous person once said, “God’s giving deserves our thanksgiving.”

That is exactly what Paul did in the opening part of his letter.

God had given new life to some Colossians, and they were now members of Christ’s Church.

So, Paul thanked God for the many things that he had given to the Christians in Colossae.

Scripture

Let’s read about Paul’s thanksgiving in Colossians 1:3-8:

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Lesson

Colossians 1:3-8 teaches us to thank God for the transforming power of the gospel within the church community.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. We Give Thanks to God for Saving Faith (1:3-4a)

2. We Give Thanks to God for Sincere Love (1:4b)

3. We Give Thanks to God for Secure Hope (1:5a)

4. We Give Thanks to God for Spreading Fruit (1:5b-6)

5. We Give Thanks to God for Steadfast Ministers (1:7-8)

I. We Give Thanks to God for Saving Faith (1:3-4a)

First, we give thanks to God for saving faith.

Paul wrote to the Colossians in verses 3-4a, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus.”

Paul assures the Christians in Colossae that he and his friends pray regularly for them.

Since it was common for faithful people to pray three times a day (morning, noon, and night), it is possible that Paul and his colleagues gathered for prayer three times a day to pray for the Colossian Christians (and other Christians in other places as well).

The first thing Paul thanked God for was the Colossian Christians’ faith in Christ Jesus.

About ten years earlier, none of the Colossians were Christians.

Some were Jews.

And some were Gentiles.

Whether they were devout or merely nominal in their religious views, we don’t know.

However, at some point, they heard about Jesus.

They heard that he was the Christ, the one sent by Jehovah to redeem a people for himself.

They heard that Jesus never sinned during his entire life.

They heard that Jesus did astonishing miracles to prove his credentials.

They heard that Jesus went to the cross and died as if he were a common criminal.

They heard that three days after his crucifixion, death, and burial, he was raised back to life.

They heard that Jesus’ resurrection was the Father’s vindication of his Son.

They heard that forgiveness of sins and eternal life were theirs if they put their faith in Jesus, who paid the penalty for their sins.

And, glory to God, many of them did so!

So, the first thing Paul thanked God for was the Colossian Christians’ faith in Christ Jesus.

In the same way, we give thanks to God for our saving faith.

Paul told the Christians in Ephesus that faith is “the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

If you are a Christian, you have every reason to thank God for your saving faith.