Paul's Prayers Part 4b in Colossians

INTRODUCTION:

Why am I preaching about prayer? to encourage us to pray more and more effectively during our pastoral search period.

SHORT Comments about the search process.

1. Elders meet twice a month.

2. Steps

· Benchmarking and prayer 

        Who we are, where we are going, and what kind of man we need.

· Inviting or Identifying prospects

· Evaluation of prospects

· Candidating

4. Careful and deliberate progress, planning Nov. 30th Fireside Chat, ask your flock elder if you have questions.

5. Pray for God to prepare and guide us,

2. BOOK OVERVIEW

Today we will finish looking at Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.

Occasion for Colossians:

· Epaphroditus’ visit and report about the conditions in Colossae prompted this letter.

· Written to affirm Apostolic teachings about Christ, salvation, and the church and

· to refute the beginnings of the Gnostic heresy.

“A proper view of Christ is the antidote for heresy.”

—Walk Thru the NT by B. Wilkinson & K. Boa

Theme of Colossians: 

Christ the Commander and Chief (preeminence of Christ)

Outline:  

I. Doctrine: What Christ did for us  (Supremacy of)

1-explained.

2-defended.

II. Practice: What Christ does through us  (Submission to)

3– Off with the Old (Man) and On with the New (Man)

4– Final Exhortations and Greetings

3. CONTEXT of the chapter

Chapter one has four basic parts

1.Greeting 1-2

2. Thanks and prayer 3-14

3. Preeminence of Christ  15-20

4. Paul preaching the mystery 21-29

4. OPENING SEGWAY

· It is instructive to notice what Paul prayed in these prayers.

· Our prayers should be focused on

seeing what God is doing and cheering Him on.

· One commentator made the observation,

“It so often happens that in prayer we are really saying, “Thy will be changed,” when we ought to be saying, “Thy will be done.”  —[W. Barclay]

5. OVERVIEW

· Topic Statement:

We must practice the importance of knowing and doing.

They are a pair that go together.

· Outline

1. The REASON for the prayer.  3-8

· Paul was motivated by God’s work in their lives    (their faith and love because of hope)

2. The REQUESTS of the prayer.  9-11

· to know is will and walk His walk

      worthy, pleasing, fruitful, increasing, & strengthened.

3. The REJOICING of the prayer.   12-14

· that they were qualified to partake,

· delivered from the power of darkness, and

· transfered to the kingdom of His love.

6. READ SCRIPTURE AND PRAY  ———>

& Colossians 1.3-14

[REASON for the prayer]

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. [How did they hear? Can anybody put your name in this verse?]

[REQUESTS of the prayer]

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that

[1. the knowing]  you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that

[2. the doing] you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

[REJOICING of the prayer]

12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood,  the forgiveness of sins.

I. The REASON for the prayer.  3-8

“We must always take notice that He makes use of thanksgiving in place of congratulation, by which he teaches us, that in all our joys we must readily call to remembrance the goodness of God; inasmuch as every thing that is pleasant and agreeable to us is a kindness conferred by Him.” 

—John Calvin

A. Your FAITH in Christ Jesus  v.4

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

· This is not primarily the saving faith that a repentant sinner puts in Christ for his salvation.

· It primarily refers to a walking faith illustrated in Hebrews 11.  A faith in action.

B. Your LOVE for all the saints

3 We give thanks … ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 

· Notice who the love was for: all the saints.

· Notice the partnership between faith and love.

C. The HOPE laid up for you in heaven

3 We give thanks … ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

 and of your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, ...

Our salvation is a work in progress:

· I was saved from the penalty of sin,

· I am being saved from the power of sin, and

· I look forward with hope to being saved from even the very presence of sin.

1 John 3.2b-3

… but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Transitional statement: Paul’s observations about what God was doing in the lives of the Colossians, prompted him to pray that God would continue to work in them.

II. The REQUESTS of the prayer.  9-11

“...C. F. D. Moule* has said, that prayer makes two great requests. It asks for the discernment of God’s will and then for the power to perform that will.”  —–W. Barclay

*Professor of Divinity at Cambridge 1908-2007

A. that you may BE FILLED    v.9

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it,

do not cease to pray for you, and to ask

that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will

in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

· knowledge—“Knowledge” is epignōsis (ἐπιγνωσις).

The word is an advance upon gnōsis (γνωσις) (knowledge) in that it denotes a larger and more thorough knowledge. It is a knowledge which grasps and penetrates into an object.

The moral will of God for their lives. What God wanted them to do, how He wanted them to act.

· wisdom—sofiva sof-ee'-ah

power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action

· understanding—suvnesiß   soon'-es-is

“the facility of the intellect or insight which discriminates between false and the true, and grasps the relations in which things stand.”  K. Wuest

· spiritual not of this world

· Lit. “wisdom and understanding spiritual”

· it should be understood as relating to both.

TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT:

“The creed prompts the deed.” —unknown

“The end of all knowedge is conduct.”  —Lightfoot.

“Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather.” D.L. Moody

Paul now prays that they would do what they know.

B. that you may  ...  v. 10-11

Three characteristics of the Christian walk

& 10 that you may walk¹ worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing² Him,

being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

1. A Worthy Walk

“Not that you might talk; not that you might sit down and meditate and enjoy yourselves, but “that you might walk.” He aims at practical results.”   C.H. Spurgeon

Walk

ylt, kjv, nkjv—“walk worthy”;

nasb, esv—”walk in a manner worthy”

niv, nlt—“live”;  Wuest—“order your behavior worthily”

G4043: περιπατέω / peripateō  lit. to walk

fig. to make one’s way or conduct oneself

This is an expression that would be familiar to readers of the OT. The OT frequently has “walk in God’s ways and sometimes in His commandments, statutes, etc… It refers to how we live life.

1. worthy (of the same kind)

αξιως ax-ee’-oce (Strongs No: 516)

· “having the weight of another thing” or “of like value or worth”   —K. Wuest

· not deserving of the Lord, but…

· their "walk" or manner of life reflects God's character and thoughts;

· Our words and actions should be of the same type as Christ’s.

· This similar to Paul’s exhortation in ...

& Ephesians 4

¹ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

     Also Phil’p 1.27 “worthy of the Gospel” and 1 Th. 2.12 “worthy of God”

· Peter captures this idea with his exhortations

& 1 Peter 1.15

¹⁵but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in al your conduct, ¹⁶because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 2.21

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”

fully pleasing Him²

²  —esv, nkjv “fully pleasing”; niv— “may please Him in every way”

—ylt, kjv— “to and unto all pleasing”; nasb— “to please him in all                   respects”; Wuest— “with a view to please Him in every way”

 G699: ἀρεσκεία / areskeia —Two meanings or connotations possible

· can mean: servile, overly eager to please, overly submissive

· here means: to do things that gain favor

It is like the question we sometimes ask children, “Does that make Jesus happy?”

Jesus loves me when I’m good,

when I do the things I should,

Jesus loves me when I’m bad,

even though it makes Him sad.

Applications:

· How often do you see yourself in the Gospel accounts?

· Are the things you do consistent with the reality that you profess.  Are your deeds worthy of the things you believe? He says he’s a Christian, but ...

2. A Growing Plant

The next two verbs are combined by a conjunction and common theme: growing plants

& 10b ...being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

· in every¹ good work Being Fruitful²  

      in this order in the ylt and the Greek

¹“every”—every kind of   We are not limited to our perceived giftedness.  “That’s not my gift,” is often a copout.

² G2592: καρποφορέω / karpophoreō

Efforts to bear fruit in our strength are limited by our natural abilities.  Spiritual fruitfulness

· Increasing¹ in² the knowledge of God

¹ ylt, kjv, nasb, esb, nkjv, Wuest  “increasing”

  niv, nlt “grow(ing)”

G837: αὐξάνω, αὔξω, ξαίνω / auxanō, auxō, xainō

Lit. of a plant growing (with the idea of growing in maturity more than size)

² (by means of)

The Greek grammar and construction are best understood to emphasize the idea of  “how” (instrumentality—means) rather than “where” (locative—in the sphere of)

“becoming grown up by means of  the knowledge of God”

“The full knowledge God is the real instrument of enlargement in soul and life of the believer”  ——Henry Alford

“All Bible truths are practical, not theoretical. If we are growing in knowledge, we should also be growing in grace (2 Peter 3:18).”  —W. Wiersbe

& John 15.5 & 8, (16)

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will  ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

(16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…)

Check a commentary to see the practical way that “abide” is described.

Point to ponder:  Why are these put in this order?  What is the Holy Spirit teaching us by saying “being fruitful” before saying “growing, maturing” (by a full, experiential knowledge of God)?

3. A Strengthened joy

& ¹¹ strengthened¹ with all might,² according to His glorious power,³ for all patience⁴ and longsuffering⁵ with joy;

¹ G1412: δυναμόω / dynamoō (verb) Passive voice means it is something that is done to you, not self effort. It is supernatural.

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² G1411: δύναμις / dynamis (noun) ylt, kjv,nkjv— “might”: nasb, esv,niv, Wuest, nlt— power

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

³ G2904: κράτος / kratos  ylt, kjv, nkjv, Wuest—“power”; nasb, esv, niv—“might” This word has the idea of superior power or control over something and is usually used of God in the NT. (Heb 2.14 ...that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, )

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It is hard to pick a best translation for these next two words.

⁴ ylt, esv, niv, nlt—“endurance”; kjv, nkjv, Wuest—“patience”; nasb—“steadfastness”   comp. w/ 1 Th. 1.4

G5281: ὑπομονή / hypomonē the verb “abide” with the prefix “under”;  hopeful endurance or steadfastness, (of circumstances)

“in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings”   —Strong’s Greek Dictionary

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

⁵ ylt, kjv, nkjv—“longsuffering”;

nasb, esv, niv, nlt—“patience”; Wuest—“forebearance”

G3115: μακροθυμία / makrothymia — generally “slowness in advenging wrongs”, “Master have patience with me and I will pay all.” Matt 8.26; It relates more to our patience with people as in Colossians 3

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

· We often associate dynamis with the dynamite power it takes to blow something up, but here it is used of the quiet strength that grounds us in a joyful, Christ-like attitude toward difficult circumstances and people.

· JOY - “The Christian way is not a grim struggle with events and with people; it is a radiant and sunny joy in any circumstances.  As C.F.D. Moule puts it: “If joy is not rooted in the soil of suffering, it is shallow.” It is easy to be joyful when things go well…

—William Barclay

Insert some inspirational thought or moving story.

1. A Worthy Walk   We should live in the same reality that we say we believe.  Dale Tackett asks the question, “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?”  Is what you do and say “worthy” or consistent with what you say Jesus is and teaches in the Word.

2. A Growing Plant  Our Christian life should be one where we are becoming more diverse in the good works we excel at and where our growing knowledge and understanding of God deepens and matures us.

3. A Strengthened joy  Each believer is tested, whether by circumstances or people.  The special strengthening grace of God makes us able to live steadfastly according to the reality of Christ.

Transitional statement:

When you are praying right, you end with an attitude of praise.

III. The REJOICING of the prayer.

¹² giving thanks to the Father

who has qualified us to be partakers

of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and

conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of sins.

compare with Acts 26.18

 A. qualified

12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified¹ us to be partakers² of the inheritance³ of the saints in the light.

¹ G2427: ἱκανόω / hikanoō   conferring the privilege or ability

ylt, kjv— “make or made us meet”; nlt—“enabled”

² G3310: μερίς / meris

ylt— “the participation of”;  kjv, nkjv— “to be partakers”; nasb, esv, niv, nlt— “to share in”

³ G2819: κλῆρος / klēros  two meanings:

1. lots like ones drawn in the Passion story Mark 15.24

2. a portion allotted to someone

· These two words are often found together in the Old Testament to describe the distribution in the Promised Land among the tribes or Israel (e.g., Deut 10.9)    ——IVP NT Commentaries

· Did we change ourselves or did the Father make us fit? 

· This reminds us of how unqualified we were in our own unrighteousness (Isa. 64.6)  and of the blessings of Christ’s righteousness and work on the cross that is credited to the believer’s account and make them “fit.” 

 

B. delivered

13 He has delivered¹ us from the power² of darkness ...

¹ G4506: ῥύομαι / rhyomai

ylt, nasb, niv, nlt— “rescued”;  kjv, esv, nkjv, Wuest— “delivered”

² G1849: ἐξουσία / exousia kjv, nkjv— “power”;  nasb, esv— “domain”; niv— “Domain”;  Wuest— “tyrannical rule”

This expression highlights our helplessness and the power of God that works in us to free us from the power of darkness.

Our deliverance should be more than some vague theoretical position.

Eph 2.2

¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Acts 26.17-18

¹⁷ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

C. conveyed

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and

conveyed¹ us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

¹  G3179: μεθιστάνω, μεθίστημι / methistanō, methistēmi  The Greek word looks like “stand with.” 

nasb, esv, Wuest, nlt— “transfered”;  ylt, kjv— “translate”; niv— “brought”

· Reminds us of Judah being carried into Babylon.                      “This is a word with a special use.  In the ancient world, when one empire won a victory over another, it was the custom of take the population of the defeated country and transfer it lock, stock and battle 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 a way to Babylon.”  —William Barclay

· Son of His love—We receive benefits of the Fathers love for His Son. Cling to the Son.

· Darkness—Light

Romans 13

¹¹ And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

1 Thessalonians 5

⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

D. redeemed

...the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption

through His blood,  the forgiveness of sins.

 

CONCLUSION

REVIEW:

1. The REASON for the prayer.  3-8

· Paul was motivated by God’s work in their lives    (their faith and love because of hope)

2. The REQUESTS of the prayer.  9-11

· to know His will

· to walk His walk

      A worthy walk, a growing plant, and a strengthened joy

3. The REJOICING of the prayer.   12-14

· that they were qualified to partake,

· delivered from the power of darkness, and

· transfered to the kingdom of the Son of  His love.

 

APPLICATIONS:

1) Personal Application for the Saved

 2) Personal Application for the Unsaved