THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS
(How to please God - October 9, 2022)
Series Big Idea: "Humanity is only complete in God the Son"
Sermon Big Idea: "Knowing the truth about pleasing God protects us from those who seek to lead us astray
Key Scripture (Colossians 1:9-14)
Paul's letter to the Colossians started with a prayer of thanks based on Epaphras's good report. This prayer reminded the Christians in Colossae of the power of the gospel so they wouldn't be influenced by false teaching. In verses 9–14 his prayer continues, but the emphasis changes from giving thanks to asking for help. Paul asks God to provide these Christians with the ability to live godly lives, in essence, the ability to please God. The thought immediately arises, does a person have to have a supernatural experience, live a strict life, or have a deep understanding to satisfy God? The Colossians were being told this was true. Paul’s prayer applies to the modern Christian as well. We must recognize and act on the truth of what pleases God, so we won't be fooled by false teaching.
In these verses, we will examine the reasons Paul gives for why he prays for these Colossians and the things he prays for.
(Colossians 1:9-14)
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. 14 We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
Paul prayed for the long-term spiritual growth of these people. He knew that Christians are prime targets for Satan’s attacks. He prayed that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will. In addition, he prayed that His will would control their daily conduct. The truth is that God doesn’t hide His will from His people. He clearly reveals it in His Word. The word “filled” here literally means that God’s will should cause them to do things they might not otherwise do like being patient with people rather than getting angry with them and enduring instead of giving up. To help support this idea he prayed that the knowledge of God’s will would be in “all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Wisdom means really knowing God’s truth and understanding refers to the application of that truth. To be controlled by God's will, Christians must understand the Bible's teachings and apply them to their lives. But Paul said in his prayer that this is not the end, the goal is to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.” Worthy behavior is that which is proper and required of God's children.
If pleasing God is the goal as Paul prayed, how would they realize that goal? Paul explains that in verses 10-12.
1. Good deeds are a Result of salvation as opposed to a path to it
First, when Christians are “bearing fruit in every good work,” God is pleased. Because they are part of God's purpose for the believer, good deeds in the believer's life please God (Ephesians 2:8–10).
2. God wants His people to Grow in their Knowledge of Him
Second, God is pleased when His people are “growing in the knowledge of God.” The more we know about who God is, how he acts, and what he wants from us, the more we can make our lives fit with what he wants.
3. God is pleased when believer's lives are marked by “patience and endurance”
You and I know life can be challenging and hard to deal with. There are times when things don't go well. When times are difficult, Paul knew these people needed the strength to keep going and trust that God will help them. People don't always treat each other well. Paul knew that as well. At those times, we need patience, which is the ability to be kind to people even when they hurt us or annoy us, and not try to get back at them.
Remaining strong and firm in our circumstances and being patient with difficult people is not easy and often beyond our ability. But God hasn’t left us all alone with just our abilities to meet this challenge. Paul says that God’s power is available. He prayed that these Colossians would be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might.” It’s ok for a Christian to ask God for help in doing His will. Understand, this is probably going to be a slow process. As we trust and obey God, we will get stronger and be able to do what he wants.
Conclusion:
Paul noted one more thought in this prayer that will help us. When Christians joyously praise the Father for the benefits of salvation, they are pleasing to God. Paul was clear about how to please God, and he's just as clear about the benefits of salvation that we should be thankful for. This time, we have a list of three things: God gave us the skills we needed, saved us, and moved us into a new kingdom (v. 13).
God the Father has made it possible for Christians to share in the benefits of salvation. We don't judge ourselves by how morally good we are. God qualifies us by grace when we put our faith in Christ to pay for our sins. We are saved by God's grace, and this is shown by the fact that we share in the inheritance. We don't work for what we get. It's a gift!
One reason to be thankful is not just that you are qualified. He saved us from being ruled by darkness. God saved us from the power of darkness, but that's not the end of the good news. God has also done something good by bringing us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. God has moved us from one place to another. He has taken us out of Satan's dark kingdom and put us in Jesus' bright kingdom.
God's work of salvation, which Christians should be thankful for, is also shown by redemption and forgiveness. To redeem someone means "to buy them back and let them go." Jesus' death was the price he paid to buy us back and set us free from sin. Because Christ died for us, we are free from both the punishment for sin and its power over us.
Redemption and forgiveness go hand in hand. Literally, the word "forgive" implies "to send away, to cancel." God has paid off the cost of our sins through the death of Jesus. It was a debt we would never be able to pay off, but since Jesus paid the charge on our behalf, God has now pardoned us.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context
Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson
WORDsearch. Adult Questions for LESSONmaker. WORDsearch, n.d.
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion. Electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. Colossians. The Teacher’s Outline & Study Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1994.
Cole, Steven J. Colossians. Steven J. Cole Commentary Series. Dallas: Galaxie Software, 2017.
Garland, David E. Colossians and Philemon. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
Moo, Douglas J. The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2008.
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Soanes, Catherine, and Angus Stevenson, eds. Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Blum, Edwin A., and Trevin Wax, eds. CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.
Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps. Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, 2007.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.
Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.
Barnes, Albert. Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians. Edited by Robert Frew. London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885.
Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. Vol. 16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.
Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: William B. Eerdmans Publishing; Paternoster Press, 1996.
Phillips, John. Exploring Colossians & Philemon: An Expository Commentary. The John Phillips Commentary Series. Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009.
Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.
Anders, Max. Galatians-Colossians. Vol. 8. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. Galatians–Colossians. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996.
The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009.
Dockery, David S., ed. Holman Concise Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
Water, Mark. Key Word Commentary: Thoughts on Every Chapter of the Bible. AMG Publishers, 2003.
The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.
Barry, John D., David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder, eds. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
Brannan, Rick, and Israel Loken. The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible. Lexham Bible Reference Series. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Bible Handbook. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.
Lucas, R. C. Fullness & Freedom: The Message of Colossians & Philemon. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980.
Radmacher, Earl D., Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Smith, Jerome H. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: The Most Complete Listing of Cross References Available Anywhere- Every Verse, Every Theme, Every Important Word. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 1992.
Willmington, H. L. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1999.
Melick, Richard R. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 32. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991.
Souter, Alexander. A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917.
Dunnam, Maxie D., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon. Vol. 31. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982.
Bowman, Robert M., Jr., and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007.
Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the New Testament. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.
Brooks, Keith. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.
Hughes, Robert B., and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. The Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
AFTER THE MESSAGE
After hearing today's message there may be a decision you have made and you want a pastor to connect with you. We want to make this easy for you. Just scroll to the bottom of this page and fill out the form and our pastor will contact you in the way you prefer.