Colossians 1:9-14 "Paul's Prayer for the Church"

Well, good morning.

Turn with me, if you will, to Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

And today we will be looking at verses 9 through 12, which is all about how we should pray for other believers.

That is Colossians 1, 9 through 12.

In our previous study in Colossians, we discovered that Paul is writing this letter to address a pressing issue within the church.

So the Colossian church is facing the challenge of false teaching.

And so they lived in a very diverse culture.

It was very syncretistic.

And their culture was trying to redefine the essence of Christianity.

Additionally, the church anticipates upcoming persecution, so it's kind of heading their way.

So Paul's purpose in writing this letter is to provide a strong foundation for these Christians who are navigating the complexities of their sinful culture.

So in the first eight verses, Paul begins by offering blessings, he expressing his gratitude for the church and reminding them of the transformative power of the gospel, the word of truth.

And then he reminds them that this life-changing message was delivered to them by a man named Epaphras, a devoted servant of God.

Now it's only fitting that Paul offers prayers on their behalf.

You know, many of us struggle with prayer.

Either we don't pray at all or we lack the discipline to do so.

And furthermore, when we do pray, we often encounter confusion on what to pray for.

So thankfully, today's passage will shed light on this important aspect of our faith, guided by God's grace.

And so prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God's work.

It was Charles Spurgeon who once said, I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.

It was Leonard Ravenhill who once said that no man is greater than his prayer life.

And it was Oswald Chambers who once said that prayer does not fit us for the greater work.

Prayer is the greater work.

And so prayer is absolutely essential.

So as Christians, we better understand what this great privilege is.

Why do we pray?

What do we pray?

Who do we pray for?

And that is exactly my hope for us this morning through Paul's example.

And so the first thing that Paul teaches us before jumping into the content of his prayer is how we should be praying for other believers.

At the beginning of verse 9, Paul says, And so, from the day we heard, that is, he heard of their faith in Christ, their love for all the believers, and hope for eternal glory, we have not ceased to pray for you.

And so, first and foremost, Paul reveals something quite remarkable.

He consistently prayed for this group of believers.

This wasn't just a one-time thing.

What's even more astonishing is that he had never actually met these Christians personally.

So despite the lack of personal connection he had with them, he felt compelled to pray for them continually without stopping.

He had no vested interest in them, yet they made his prayer list.

And so in the scriptures, God's commands are always ongoing.

Okay, we're commanded to keep on repenting, keep on having faith, keep on making disciples.

And so this principle also applies to prayer.

We are instructed to keep on praying without interruption.

And if you're anything like me, you might have the tendency to offer up a quick prayer for someone and then move on.

You know, put the mail in the mailbox, put up the flag, and be done with it.

We don't put in much effort.

Instead, we say, why would God want me to keep on asking for something that I've already requested?

And the answer to that question is simple.

Because God told us to do so.

In Matthew 7 7, Jesus explicitly says, keep on asking, keep on knocking, keep on seeking.

In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 18, Paul advises us to stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Ephesians 6:18

Much like the parable of the persistent widow, God wants us to intercede for others and not give up so easily.

And we do this because God accomplishes his purposes through the prayers of his people.

It's a mysterious thing.

But we weren't created to bear the burdens of others on our shoulders.

Instead, we should be entrusting all of our worries, all of our concerns and problems to the one who can carry them and has the power to answer our requests according to his will, according to his timing.

And so God has called us to this work.

And by the way, God doesn't need us, he's totally sufficient, and he can reach and sanctify people through rocks and donkeys if he wanted to, but God has given us this privilege to join him in his work through constant prayer.

Now, this doesn't mean that we should quit our jobs, let's be a monk, and we need to sit around all day with our heads bowed.

But what it does mean is this we should be continually praying for things that God has put on our hearts.

As the old hymn says, Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

And so, church, are you praying without ceasing?

Are you praying for other believers?

Are you praying for other churches?

If I were to ask you the question, who's on your prayer list, could you show me?

Are there people that you were praying for, but maybe you grew weary and you just gave up on it?

Oh, may we be a people who praise and praise and praise especially for the bride of Christ.

Now you might be thinking, you know, Jimmy, I don't know what to pray for.

I go to pray for people and my mind blanks, and I totally understand that.

I'm an ex-meth addict, and so my brain is very scrambled.

But thankfully, Paul gives us a great example of things that we should be praying for.

He reveals for us the content of his prayers in verses 9 through 12.

He says, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 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, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

So here Paul prays for four specific areas knowledge of God's will, fruitful obedience, strength to endure, and gratitude for what God has done in our lives.

I'm gonna say that one more time.

One, knowledge of God's will, two, fruitful obedience, three, strength to endure, and four, gratitude for what God has done in our lives.

So let's unpack this.

Starting in verse nine, Paul prays that they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

This is step one: that believers would know what God has revealed, his nature, his purposes, his plans, what he requires of us.

So without this, we will remain spiritually ignorant, unstable, and totally vulnerable to all kinds of error.

Now, when Paul says knowledge of God's will, he is not referring to the secret details of our life.

Okay, some interpret this passage and think that we need to find out where God wants me to work, uh, who he wants me to marry, where to go on vacation.

And we need spirit-led in such things, but that is not what Paul is referring to here.

And so what Paul is referring to is what God has revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures.

God in his wisdom has given humanity his written revelation.

It's the number one most published book worldwide.

And in it, God reveals to us everything we need to know concerning who He is, the condition of our sin, how we are saved, the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and everything else pertaining to godliness and salvation.

So we cannot do God's will if we don't know what it is.

We can't even begin to appreciate God if we're unaware of what He's done for us.

It's like trying to drive a truck without an engine.

It's like trying to go to Alaska without a map or a GPS.

And so we must be filled with knowledge of God's will if we have any hope of living the Christ life and maturing in it.

And this isn't a mere academic or intellectual endeavor, which is why Paul says this must be done in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

So it's not enough to know the Bible as information.

It must have a spiritual, transformative effect on our lives.

So we must have the Holy Spirit's help to truly digest and grasp and fully understand what God has revealed to us.

Church, this is a powerful prayer.

This is a prayer that God wants to answer, that we would know the God-breathed, inerrant, canonized revelation of God in such a spiritual way that our worldview is shaped, our affections are stirred, our hearts are radically changed, that we might know the will of God revealed to us in the Word of God.

And only then can we do what Paul prays for next in verse 10.

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

So, as we are all aware, it's one thing to know God's will, but it's another thing to do it.

There are plenty of people out there who know every Greek word, they've memorized entire chapters of the Bible, they've spent hours, thousands of hours studying the scriptures, but they do not practice it.

And so Paul's prayer for them then is that they would walk in a way that is consistent, that is worthy of their faith in the Lord, that their behavior, their lifestyle would reflect their true convictions about God's revelation.

And as a result, they would one be pleasing the Lord, two, they would be bearing fruit in their lives, and three, they would gain a better understanding of who God is and how he works in real life through their obedience.

And so these are the benefits of walking in a manner worthy of the Lord.

First of all, God is pleased with it.

Nothing makes him happier when we are walking in a way that reflects his original design for us.

Like the prodigal son, God the Father is so delighted when we turn from destructive, sinful living and we begin walking in his light and in his love.

As a father, personally, there's nothing that makes me happier than when my kids walk in joyful obedience.

Because I know that's what's best for them.

And not only this, but we begin to bear good fruit in our lives.

You cannot abide in the root and not bear fruit.

And so the more we allow God to work in us, good fruit starts to flourish.

We experience joy, peace, love, gentleness, patience.

Former addictions that made us miserable are broken.

Ministry begins to just overflow and happen in our lives.

We go to bed with a clear conscience.

We find ourselves joyful, hopeful, and anticipating future glory.

So there's a deep sense of fulfillment as we serve the Lord.

And our lives start to overflow with charity and philanthropy and every good work, big or small.

And not only this, but our knowledge of God expands through our obedience.

It expands through our obedience.

In other words, as we step out and do God's will, we gain a better understanding of who God is and how he works.

This is what I call experiential knowledge of God.

Part of our growing and knowing God isn't just learning facts about Him.

You must experience who He is.

It's one thing to know on paper that God is our provider, but it's a whole nother thing to actually experience that.

It's one thing to know on paper that God works through our prayers, but it's another thing to actually witness that.

It's one thing to know that God saves people, but it's another thing to actually see it happen.

And so in our obedience, God's truths, they come alive, they're tangible, they're real, and God manifests Himself more to us as we do what He's called us to do.

So Paul's prayer then is that this church would not merely know God's will, but walk it out, experiencing God's pleasure towards them as fruit grows in their lives, and through that they mature in their understanding of who he is.

But Paul's prayer, it doesn't stop there.

It's not enough just to know God's will and apply it, but we must also endure in it with all joy.

Look at verse 11.

There must be strength and perseverance.

We see this in the parable of the sower.

There are people who seemingly seem to receive God's word, they learn his will, they begin to walk it out, but then they quit.

Their zeal, their faith, their the the fruits choked out.

They discover God, but when the honeymoon phase is over, the pleasures of this world, persecution, or their own desire for sin comes and just squeezes it out.

And so Paul petitions that they would be strengthened with all power.

And let's be honest for a moment, the Christian journey is not easy.

Yes, the the Christ life is the best life, but it involves suffering, pain, and sorrow.

We're at war with the devil, this evil world, and even our own flesh.

So we're not exempt from adversity, difficulties, discouragements, tragedies.

It's not easy to follow Jesus.

We will face times of intense suffering.

There will be times when we fall back into sin, uh, relationships will be broken, people that we love will die.

Many of us at some point in our lives will be diagnosed with a chronic illness or a disease.

So Jesus was brutally honest with us when he said to his disciples, In this life, you will have many trials and tribulations.

And what we need isn't to escape all the problems, but rather divine power to strengthen us so that we can endure patiently.

This is Paul's prayer.

That we might fight the good fight of faith, that we might treasure Christ during the storm.

And where does this strength come from?

Look at the verse.

According to God's glorious might.

And so true strength, it doesn't come from self-help books, it doesn't come from your own intellect, it doesn't come from your bank account, it doesn't come from you working out at the gym.

True strength comes from relying on God and drawing from his unlimited resources.

Do you realize, as Christians, that we have access to a loving God who has infinite power, who can give us power to make it through the difficulties that we face in this life.

And there's no other way to endure.

I'm sorry, but there is no way that some of you in this room could ever endure unless you drew from the never-ending well of God's power.

Some of you in this room have experienced horrible, heinous atrocities, agonizing trauma, deep emotional distress.

Why are you still a Christian?

How is it that you haven't forfeited the faith?

How are you still standing on God's word?

I'll tell you why.

Because you drew strength and power from God's unlimited will.

And because of that, you endure patiently, awaiting the day of full redemption when all tears will be wiped away and sin will be no more.

And what attitude should we have in this endurance?

We'll look at the last part of the verse with joy.

You see, sometimes people can develop kind of a martyr complex or be overly stoic in our suffering.

Woe is me, I suffer for the kingdom, so, so miserable.

Life sucks.

They trudge forward with this stiff upper lip and they remain miserable until they reach heaven.

But that's not what Paul is advising here.

He tells us to endure with joy.

Now, why would Paul, in James and his epistle, encourage us to have joy during trials?

Who in the world looks at an empty bank account or experiences the death of a loved one or is thrown in jail for their faith and says, you know what, let's just have an attitude of joy about this?

It's like nobody does that.

And just to be clear, Paul isn't saying that we can't grieve or cry or be upset.

He's not saying that.

But what he is saying is this be anchored in an overall attitude of joy in suffering.

And why would we do that?

Because adversity reveals the authenticity of our faith.

God uses these challenges to mold us into better reflections of Christ.

Difficulties build our character, it draws us nearer to God, and it proves that we truly value Christ, refusing to let go of Him even when times are tough.

As Charles Spurgeon once put it, I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the rock of ages.

So we can find joy in our suffering because we know, as Romans 8 28 says, that God is orchestrating everything the good, the ugly.

The bad in your life for our ultimate good.

We can find joy because the temporary pain that we experience in this world is only building up for us a greater degree of glory in heaven.

We can find joy because when we suffer, we are walking in the footsteps of Christ.

And we can find joy because when we suffer well, we bring glory to God.

However, maintaining this perspective, it can be challenging, which is precisely why Paul prays for it.

So Paul prays that the Colossians, us, would know God's will, do God's will, persevere in it with joy, but he ends his prayer with one vital request: gratitude for what God has done for them in verses 12 through 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.

So this is Paul's closing request that the Colossian church would be eternally thankful for all that God has done.

This isn't a prayer for general gratitude.

This is gratitude that is rooted in what God has done for us.

You know, so often we view what God has done for us through a pathetic lens.

We so often have this low view of salvation.

You know, I hear people share with me all the time, you know, I was just kind of wandering through life.

You know, then I started to go to church.

You know, that's that's that's their lens.

Or, you know, I did some bad things and now I do some good things.

You know, or, you know, I needed some help and and Jesus gave me a hand.

Or, you know, I was a little down, a little down in life, so I asked Jesus to come into my little heart.

And it's like, no.

It's like, do you understand what happened to you?

Do you realize the magnitude of your desperate situation and glorious salvation?

You weren't just a little sick and God made you better.

Okay, you weren't just a little empty, so you added a little Jesus into your life.

You were a dead man walking.

Placed on you was the full force of God's furious wrath.

Your mind was hostile to him.

Your actions proved that you cherished sin, and your life was dominated by Satan.

You rejected your creator.

You looked at an utterly holy, infinitely pure, and totally perfect God, and you said, You're not God, I am.

And I don't want you telling me what to do.

And you did this as you delighted in evil and served idols and acted on every sinful impulse.

And in any kingdom, that's called treason.

And not just treason against any king, but an eternal king, which demands eternal punishment.

The perfect punishment against an eternal God is eternal torment.

That you would be banished and suffer misery forever.

A place where you would thirst, but you would never have water.

A place where you you would be, your flesh would be constantly burned, but yet you would never be consumed.

This is how bad our crime is, and that was the plight of our condition.

And even worse, there was nothing you could do about it.

There was no work you could do, no words you could say to ever fix this problem.

Who could resolve such a cosmic crime?

Who can atone for eternal sin?

Who could bridge the gap?

Who has the power to change the motivations of their own heart?

Without God's intervention, we are doomed.

Even if we lived a million years and performed a trillion actions of good deeds, we would still fall infinitely short of making ourselves right before a holy God.

We were hopeless, wandering in darkness, unable to reconcile ourselves back to God.

But God, who is rich in mercy, even while you were still his enemy, he pursued you.

And he unveiled to you the good news about Jesus Christ, who is the Savior, the Messiah, who came to earth 2,000 years ago and kept the law that you couldn't keep.

And he atoned for a sin payment that you couldn't pay.

And he provided for us a way to stand right before God, not by works, but by grace through faith.

And here are the basic fundamental realities of this salvation.

Paul first says, God has qualified you to this inheritance.

You didn't qualify yourself.

God chose you.

He plucked you out by applying Christ's blood to your account.

And he qualified you not to inherit wrath, but heaven in eternity with God.

In a place where you will be joyful with all the saints, in a place where there's no more sin, pain, sorrow, suffering.

You didn't choose him, but he chose you.

And he's delivered us out of this entire realm of darkness.

You were a puppet for Satan, drinking down evil like it was water.

You were blind following every trinket and trend of this world.

God opened the eyes of your heart.

He called you out of that realm.

He broke the overwhelming power of sin in your life.

And he transferred you to Christ's kingdom.

He pulled you out of the dark pit, he gave you new clothes, he adopted you into his family.

And he said, Behold, here is your new kingdom, Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

You are now with him forever, with all the saints, everlasting.

And so he's given you an entire new identity, an eternal trajectory.

Right?

And in all this, says Paul, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

You no longer need to fear judgment day.

The moment you came to Christ, by grace through faith, Jesus' blood was applied to your gross, nasty, sinful account, and you were made clean.

Every last penny was paid for.

And so no matter how big or small, how gross or heinous, Christ's sacrifice was sufficient to pay for your crimes against God.

You have been bought by the precious blood of Christ.

If you are a Christian in the room, you are redeemed, you are forgiven, and you are destined for glory.

And God did all of this out of the abundance of his great love.

And so it doesn't matter if you were saved at the age of five in a Christian home, or if you were saved at the age of 40 from drug addiction.

You know, even though we all have different backgrounds, we all have the same testimony.

If anyone is in Christ, here is the reality: God qualified you.

He took you off the dirty streets of Satan's realm.

He brought you into his eternal home.

Oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

That we would be thankful, that this would be our song each morning, that this would be our daily praise, that this would be our motivation to know God's will, to do God's will, to persevere in God's will, that we would be a grateful people because we are awestruck in wonder for what God has done on our behalf in the face of Jesus Christ.

This church is Paul's prayer.

So, proclamation church, what does this mean for us?

What is our challenge today?

Well, the first is this are you praying without ceasing?

And I want to get real practical here.

Where is your prayer list?

Now I'm not being legalistic, I'm not actually asking for it.

But are you praying consistently, intentionally, for other believers, for this church?

Have you grabbed a directory?

Are you praying for the members of this church?

Get a list of the churches in Knox County.

Pray for them and pray again and again.

And don't stop praying, because I promise that your time spent in prayer will not be wasted.

And secondly, how are you praying for others?

Are you praying that they may know God's will for fruitful obedience, for divine strength, so that they may endure?

Are you praying for hearts of gratitude?

Or is your prayer life just kind of narcissistic?

Just kind of ramble on about your own selfish desires, and you pray for things that just aren't in line with God's will.

Use Scripture, use the Lord's Prayer, use Paul's prayers.

There's one in Ephesians that's really great.

To be your model in intercessory prayer.

And lastly, if we're not careful, this isn't just a sermon that teaches us how to pray, it also teaches us what we should be striving for.

Someone could easily read this passage and say, okay, this is how I need to pray.

Yes, but also these are things that you should be pursuing.

Are you diligently pursuing God's will with an open Bible?

Are you fighting sin and growing in your fruitful obedience to the Lord?

Are you drawing strength from God to joyfully endure hardships?

And are you meditating on what God has done, cultivating a thankful heart?

And so let us not just pray this for others, but pursue what we know God wants for us.

Church, let's pray.

Father, thank you.

Thank you for Paul's prayer.

I pray and ask that this would become a reality in our lives.

Lord, that we would know your will.

And that your Holy Spirit would help us in that.

And that we would continue, Lord, to walk in a manner that is worthy.

Lord, help us to grow in that.

Help us to not be stagnant and complacent and to compromise with sin.

Give us the strength, Lord, to repent this morning and to stand up and to in the power of your spirit and to do your will, Lord, pleasing to you, bearing fruit in our lives.

And help us, Lord, to endure.

A lot of us have a lot going on in our lives.

Lord, give us that strength.

Help us to be reminded that you have all power, that you're the omnipotent God.

There is none like you.

Help us to draw life and strength and delight from you and give us joy as we go through the hardships of life.

And Father, give us thankful hearts.

Just remind us daily of the gospel and help us to put it into practice in our families and in this church and in our communities, Lord, that we may bring glory to your name.

I pray.

Amen.