Parting Words

You'll be aware, because you've been working through this particular letter, that the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the church at Colossi, had actually never visited the church.

But he did feel some responsibility for its existence.

An old student of his, a guy called Epaphras, had gone out from under his teaching.

See, Paul had spent a lot of time in a place called Ephesus.

He had based himself there.

He did teaching there.

And from there, Epaphras had gone out and established this church that was about 100 miles to the east.

And so inevitably, you can see that Paul is keeping some degree of interest in how this church is faring.

So much so that when Epaphras visited him in Rome, it seemed the most natural thing for Paul to write to that church in Colossi that Epaphras had founded.

And to encourage them to keep Christ central.

And over this series, you'll have seen how Paul dealt with some of the dangerous new teachings that were beginning to infiltrate into church life there in Colossi.

He was listening to what Epaphras was reporting back to him.

For there were those who were suggesting that they needed Jesus plus a works-based ritual.

Whilst others suggested they needed Jesus plus the mystical experiences that were going around the Roman world at the time.

So Paul in this letter emphasizes the complete wonder and sufficiency of who Jesus is and what he's done.

And for us this morning, the question as we come to towards the close of our series in this letter is how does Paul now draw things together?

What are the words that he wants to leave ringing in their ears?

What are his final instructions?

Well, we're going to divide up this passage under three headings.

And please forgive me if alliteration drives you crazy.

I'm afraid it is alliterative.

But if God had never intended us to alliterate, he would never have given us the letter P.

So, look, it is going to be alliteration.

Forgive me for that.

But maybe it means you will just remember it a fraction longer.

So, my first point is this.

Paul longs for worship that confirms the gospel.

Paul longs for worship that confirms the gospel.

Because there in verse 2, he says,

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Hang on, Andy, hang on.

That's talking about prayer.

Andy, look, it says prayer, not worship.

How could you have such a heading?

Look, when we see how Paul describes this type of prayer,

we realize that he's not talking about a particular action,

but a regular attitude.

He tells them that they are to devote themselves to prayer.

And in the Greek, this has the sense of something that is passionate and continuous and devoted,

something that you strive towards with all your energy.

It's a very strong word in the Greek language.

So, Paul's not talking here about those occasional times of prayer

that you might set aside each day for deliberate and focused and concentrated prayer.

important and good though they are.

He's rather thinking about an attitude that sees the whole of life lived in dependence upon God,

where every moment we're conscious that all we are and all we do is in the hands of our gracious,

loving, loving, heavenly Father,

where the most natural action is to lift everything before him.

That's prayer.

That's worship.

That's actually the gospel in action,

for that's where we demonstrate that we've seen how sin-stained and foolish and needy we are,

where we've learnt not to lean upon ourselves,

but the super-abundant grace of our wonderful Saviour.

And that's what I pray for you,

and it's what I long for myself,

that we'd increasingly be liberated from our pride,

from our self-sufficiency,

that we would live with our hearts and minds fixed on the knowledge of his sovereign rule and mercy.

And when I have that gospel-shaped attitude of prayer,

it's going to inevitably come over in two ways,

and Paul talks about them.

Firstly, you see, he says,

my praying is going to be full of praise.

It's going to be full of gratitude.

It's going to be full of thankfulness.

How could it be anything else as we live in the shadow of the cross?

We're not going to be those who are full of complaints,

but rather our hearts are going to be full of thanks that I've been saved,

saved, that I've been rescued,

an undeserving sinner like me,

and that I've been adopted into the very family of God.

Actually, this is what Paul was getting at when he wrote to the Thessalonian church.

There in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 to 17,

1 Thessalonians 5:16–17

he says,

Rejoice always, pray continually,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Thankfulness.

Does this characterize you?

Does it characterize your praying?

Or maybe the first thing you do when you come to prayer is you come with your shopping list

and you say,

Dear God, I want this, I want that, because it's all about me.

So God, I've got this need and a bit of a headache.

God, come and just help me.

And I could do with a bit more money.

God, give it to me.

No, no, no, no, no.

I'm not going to be that sort of person.

When I understand what Jesus Christ has done for me in his grace and mercy,

I'm going to be a person of praise and thankfulness.

But secondly, it's not just thankfulness that will characterize this attitude of prayer,

but also watchfulness.

He writes there in verse 2,

Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.

And to be watchful is also a gospel mark,

for it reveals we understand something of the spiritual battle that is raging.

So as I journey through life,

I'm going to be sensitive to where Satan is attacking

and to where God is working.

I'm going to be prayerfully responsive in that situation.

Let me just give you an illustration.

It helps me.

I love some of the old World War II films.

I don't know why, but I do.

I like watching them.

And in some of the scenes,

particularly when you're dealing with the RAF

and the Battle of Britain and stuff like that,

you have scenes where there's a sort of this,

the central command,

and you've got the WAF who have a map of Britain

and radar in its early stages would pick out

that you've got some of the Luftwaffe coming over.

And so they would then,

the phone would ring and they'd say,

OK, we've got to respond to this.

And you saw the WAF sort of pushing a particular squadron

towards where the attack was coming.

It was a situation of where they were responding

to the attacks when they understood them.

And could I say,

that is what, in one sense,

Paul is getting at here.

That's why corporate prayer is so vital.

That's why I long that all of us would treasure

the privilege we have of meeting together

with our brothers and sisters.

Not only to cry out to God together,

but also to listen and sense

where he is prompting us to pray.

There is something very special

when God's people gather for prayer,

where they seek to understand what God is saying,

where we should be praying,

what is happening.

We don't come with the same prayer list

that we had 30 years ago.

We come with our open Bibles.

We come with our open hearts and say,

God, please, by your spirit,

would you show us how we should be praying?

Lord, what are you doing?

What are you doing in our city

and in our country and in the UK?

Lord, what are you doing?

We want to be responsive to that.

We want to pray there.

We want to be thankful.

We want to be watchful.

So Paul longs for worship

that confirms the gospel.

But secondly, Paul longs for words

that clarify the gospel,

for words that clarify the gospel.

As Paul continues talking about prayer,

he focuses down upon gospel communication,

highlighting not only the ministry of evangelists

like himself,

but also the witness of the believers

that he was writing to

and his passion was that the gospel message

should be clearly articulated and proclaimed.

Now, you may have heard someone try to quote

St. Francis of Assisi.

Preach the gospel

and if necessary, use words.

It may sound clever,

but it's wrong.

And actually, there's no record

that Francis of Assisi ever said that.

It's quite spurious.

For words are vital

and it's essential that every believer

is ready and able to share

the life-saving message of Jesus.

It's what Paul was conscious of

as he worked as a pioneer evangelist.

There in verse 4,

he says,

pray that I may proclaim it clearly

as I should.

And it's what Paul wanted

for those believers at Colossi.

There in verse 6,

he says this,

let your conversation be always full of grace,

seasoned with salt,

so that you may know

how to answer everyone.

Yeah, we should be those

who pray for evangelists

and preachers

that they might be able to

accurately and clearly

and boldly and persuasively

communicate the good news about Jesus.

We should pray that they would speak

those words in the right way.

And by the way,

could I say we have no excuse

complaining about the preacher

if we ourselves have not been in prayer for him.

We need to pray that they would have the courage

to expose the sin

and the shame

that separates so many from God.

And we need to pray

that they will have the wisdom

and insight

to share Christ

in the most appropriate

and winsome way possible,

pointing all the time

to Jesus.

And we need to take a look at ourselves.

We need to be those

who are ready to communicate in words

what Jesus has done for folks like us.

See, this isn't just the job of the professional.

It's not just the job of the evangelist.

It's not just the job of pastor.

If you think about communicating the gospel

and you say,

well, it's all right,

they're doing a Life Explored thing on a Monday

and Graham will preach the gospel on a Sunday

and say,

we don't have to do anything.

No.

No.

How would you explain the gospel?

How would you tell someone what Jesus did?

Or if someone, for example,

asks you about suffering,

if you do get into conversation

with someone about the Christian faith,

they might ask you about suffering.

How do you explain suffering?

How can a holy and a loving God allow suffering?

Well, how do you deal with that?

If that's going to be the major objection

and you want to share Christ,

you're going to have to have thought it through.

Have you?

Or the accusation we increasingly get,

oh, Christianity is homophobic.

How would you answer?

And would you be able to do it in such a way

that avoided cliches

and Christian catchphrases?

You see, there's no point having a conversation

with someone and say,

oh, I know the answer to your problem.

You need to be washed in the blood of the lamb.

And in one sense,

you and I, if we know that sort of language,

we go, that's brilliant, that's great.

I love what the Bible speaks about.

I understand it, but they don't.

And to say to someone,

be washed in the blood of the lamb,

they go, you are weirdos.

You are nutters.

That is not the language that we are to use

to communicate effectively

with people who know nothing

of the Bible story.

No, the right words are essential

to communicate the right message.

But Paul doesn't leave it there.

So I'm trying to say that his prayer is

that we should be those who have words

that clarify the gospel.

But thirdly, finally,

I noticed that Paul longs for works

that complement the gospel,

works that complement the gospel.

See, today, the most potent evangelistic tool

the church possesses

is the transformed lives of Christians.

The reality is, actually,

that people don't stop to consider

the truth claims for the Christian faith.

You may have the most brilliant

apologetic answer.

But often, folks will never even ask you.

They'll rarely, if ever, examine the facts

or consider the arguments.

But what does make an impact

is a deliciously different life.

A life of consistency and purity

and of integrity and of joy

and of peace.

That will attract.

That will draw the questions.

That will provoke the attention.

And that's why Paul instructs them.

They're at Colossae in chapter 4, verse 5.

He says,

Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders.

Make the most of every opportunity.

You see, gospel words are essential,

but they must be accompanied by gospel works.

Now, I grew up in an age

when evangelism was all about

getting someone to attend church

or a gospel crusade.

The cry was,

Get them in.

And so we'd be going around the doors

and we'd be taking leaflets and stuff

and we'd be going,

Come in.

Come in to the building.

Come in and hear the gospel.

Whereas, actually,

the cry of the church today

should be,

Get them out.

Get them out.

Actually, you see,

we don't do our main gospel work

in this building.

We do it in the relationships

that we've established in our community.

Very rarely

will anyone just wander in off the street

and hear the gospel and be saved.

Now, you may have just wandered in off the street.

I don't know.

I'm a visitor here.

You're a visitor here.

If you have, well, that's great.

But can I say,

it would be really unusual.

Folks, don't do that.

However lovely a building you have,

however great a location,

it just doesn't happen.

You see, it's only as people see the difference

that Jesus makes to your life

that they will start asking the questions

that will lead to gospel conversations.

And maybe they might attend a Life Explored

or a Christianity Explored course

as a result of the relationship

that you have built up

because you have been living a life

which is under the Lordship of Christ

and which is so radically different

that people go,

tell me why you tick.

But it's not only what we do individually.

Could I say it is also what we do corporately

as a church.

You see, church is believers.

The church, Brunsfield Evangelical Church

is not this building.

It's you.

It's the believers

who are committed to this church.

And as a group of believers,

it is your responsibility

to look for ways

that you can bless this community.

See, this isn't just a place

for hit and run evangelism.

Listen, this building is a resource

to be used for the glory of God.

This isn't holy space.

This isn't the tabernacle.

This isn't the sanctuary.

It's a building.

And you've got a great building

in a great location.

And the responsibility of you, the church,

the people who are committed

to this church,

to say how can we use

all that God has given us

for the glory of God

and for the sharing

of the gospel.

This is a resource

to be used

for the glory of God.

As I close,

let me,

let me,

no,

I,

I,

you see,

too often

we fail as churches

to say what can we do

to bless the community

in which we're based.

Now,

I'm assuming that

most of you

are within five,

ten minutes

of the building here,

the church building here,

that there should be

a particular concern

for Brunsfield.

I know we've got

Holy Corner up the way

and I know that's a,

you know,

there's a bit of an overload

of churches,

but the point is

you are here,

God's put you here

to witness to his grace

and glory.

And the question always

the church must be asking

is how do we connect

with this community?

What can we do

to bless this community?

That's where there needs

to be wisdom

and insight

and a sharing

with the leadership

to understand

what you can do

more effectively

for the glory

of Jesus Christ.

But look,

as I close,

let me point out again

why Paul had to

write this letter.

Okay,

the church planter

Epaphras

had shared with Paul

how a number of people

had come into

the church.

They'd started to question

whether Epaphras

had told them

the whole story.

One group came

from the Jewish tradition

of rules and regulations

and they were telling

the new believers

that faith in Jesus

wasn't sufficient

in and of itself.

No,

they needed

to strictly follow

their Jewish rule book.

And that happens today.

Maybe some of you here

have had experience

of such churches

which is more

about the rules

than Jesus.

Whereas you've got

to do things

in a particular way

and dress in a particular way

and act in a particular way.

The other group

had been influenced

by the mystery religions

that were particularly

popular at that time

within the Roman community,

particularly the Roman army.

And they were teaching

that you needed

particular experiences

to supplement

to supplement

what you had

in Christ.

And maybe some of you

have come across

similar churches today

where what matters most

is having experiences

and feelings

and where the Bible

comes a distant second.

So in responding

to this,

Paul emphasizes

that when you have

Jesus Christ,

you have all that

you could ever possibly

need or desire.

And so in this letter,

gloriously,

he lifts Jesus up.

In this letter,

he exquisitely speaks

of the worth

and majesty

of Jesus.

He reminds the Colossians

that true believers

are united

to Christ.

and because we're

united to Christ,

we have everything

in Christ.

And there's nothing

better or higher

that I could leave you

with as a church family

than these glorious words

that Paul penned

in response

to all the challenges

that the world

was throwing

at that church.

You'll have looked

at these verses already,

but let me leave you

with them.

Colossians 1,

15 to 20,

and then chapter 2,

verse 10.

Paul writes,

he, that is Jesus,

is the image

of the invisible God,

the firstborn

over all creation,

for by him

all things were created.

Things in heaven

and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones

or powers

or rulers

or authorities,

all things were created

by him

and for him.

He is before all things

and in him

all things hold together

and he is the head

of the body,

the church.

He is the beginning

and the firstborn

from among the dead

so that in everything

he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased

to have all his fullness

dwell in him

and through him

to reconcile to himself

all things,

whether things on earth

or things in heaven

by making peace

through his blood

shed on the cross.

Chapter 2,

verse 10.

for in Christ

all the fullness

of the deity

lives in bodily form

and you've been given

fullness in Christ

who is the head

over every power

and authority.

Let me pray.

Father, we thank you

as we close

that we are able

to again worship

and adore

the Lord Jesus Christ

for everything

that he is.

May he be our joy

and delight.

Forgive us

if other things

become more important.

Forgive us

if our affections

are not anchored

in him.

Forgive us, Lord,

if the idols

and fake gods

of this age

have dominated

our thinking.

Have mercy upon us,

we pray.

Make Christ

increasingly precious.

Help us to cultivate

that heart love

for him.

Help us day by day

to meditate

upon his grace

and mercy,

to read and study

his word,

to respond to him

in prayer.

And Lord,

grant that as a result

our lives might be

transformed,

evidently transformed

in ways that will

provoke questions

and give opportunity

to share the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

For we ask it

in his name

and for his glory.

Amen.