My Prayer For You In 2023 (Part 1)
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[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then I would invite you to turn to Colossians 1:1-12. (READ)
[SLIDE 2] Illustration
Today marks the very beginning of the year of 2023.
The new year represents a fresh start and an opportunity to set new goals and resolutions.
This can be a motivating factor, as people feel energized and inspired to make positive changes in their lives.
It’s a time when I suppose we go through a “reboot” or “reset” of our life.
So, I want to launch 2023 with a mini-series called: “My Prayer For You In 2023.”
My prayer for you, Oakridge Baptist Church, is the same prayer given by the Apostle Paul for the Colossians.
Today, we’ll cover verse 9 and then we’ll talk about verses 10-12 next Sunday.
My simple point of this message is that I pray that God will fill you with knowledge.
Biblical Theology
Context
Before I begin expounding this passage, it is important to lay down the context.
That’s because Paul begins verse 9 with “So.”
Other translations would say, “For this reason.”
This helps us understand why Paul was offering his prayer and petition to God for the Colossians.
What was Paul referring?
The Apostle Paul was in prison for preaching the gospel. He heard from this man named Epaphras about the church in Colossae. And Paul knew nothing about the church in Colossae because he did not personally plant that church.
Essentially, Epaphras gave a positive report to the Apostle Paul about the Colossians.
He told him how the Colossians were trusting Christ and bearing fruit to the glory of God.
Paul also heard from Epaphras that these Colossians became the church that is filled with love for all the believers.
More can be said about the challenges that the Colossians were experiencing in their historical context, such as the infiltration of false teachings, and how Paul needed to instruct them with sound doctrine.
But overall, Paul was enthusiastic by the report because of the Colossians’ faith.
Therefore, Paul begins the letter with thanksgiving to God for the church from verses 3-8.
I wonder, brothers and sisters. If Paul were still alive and were to write a letter to Oakridge Baptist Church, would he begin with thanksgiving to God for you.
Would he be thankful to God because of your faith in Christ Jesus?
Would he be thankful to God because of the love that you have for all the saints.
Exposition
If you are exemplifying the faith and love like the Colossians, it helps you to understand why Paul never ceased praying for the Colossians.
So, this is truly my personal prayer for you in 2023.
This idea of prayer is rather convicting (at least for me).
The reason is because when the church is becoming healthier, sometimes we may think that she (the church) does not need prayer.
Most of the time, we pray when there are problems. Problem in the family. Problem with individuals. Problems with marriages. Problems in the church.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray when we face problems.
But the Apostle Paul shows us in fresh way of looking at prayer. He’s not just thankful to God for the Colossians but that motivated him to never stop forgetting to pray for them.
Paul was a man of prayer. Also he demonstrates his prayer for some of the churches in other letters as well.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here in Colossians, Paul specifically prays to God that the Colossians may be filled with the knowledge of His will, especially in light of the threat of false teachings.
I suppose you can look at Paul’s prayer as an exhortation for all of you not to fall into complacency in your walk with Christ.
Rather, this is prayer for you to continue to grow in your knowledge of God and not stop in your endeavour.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is important. The opposite of knowledge is ignorance.
Knowledge is important because it helps us:
make informed decisions,
solve problems,
understand the world around us,
improve ourselves and help others.
So, what we can learn is that knowledge is practical.
Knowledge is not merely knowing theories.
It should have practical application.
For example, in the Old Testament, God instructed the Israelites to construct the tabernacle, a giant tent where the LORD will dwell with His people.
It says in Exodus 35:31 that God filled this man Bezalel with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship.
For what purpose? To build the tabernacle.
For the Apostle Paul, he’s praying that God will fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
For what purpose? We’ll look at verse 10 next Sunday, but it says, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”
The Bible views knowledge as foundational to godly living.
Knowledge is an important theme in Paul’s writings, but especially in this letter to the Colossians.
Paul talks about knowledge again in verse 10 when it comes to godly living: Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
In Colossians 2:2-3, he talks about the knowledge of God’s mystery, which in Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Lastly, Colossians 3:10 indicates that Christians are to put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.
So, the question this text should prompt us to ask is this: How does God fill me with the knowledge of His will?
Where in the world can we get this knowledge?
We do not want to be ignorant of God’s knowledge.
Some have said that ignorance is a bliss, but not in this case.
Listen closely to what God said to Hosea regarding the Israelites and the priest in Hosea 4:6?
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Why did the Israelites lack knowledge?
It was because the priest, who’s responsibility was to teach God’s law to God’s people, rejected knowledge, which was referring to God’s law.
In application, my responsibility as a pastor is to give you the Word of God so that you shouldn’t lack knowledge unless you choose to be dull of hearing and shove God’s word aside.
Failing to know this knowledge can have consequences. It implies that verses 10 and onward would not be true of you.
You wouldn’t be able to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. You wouldn’t be able to please the One who gave His life to save you from sin.
No genuine believers would desire to and purposefully displease our God, even though I recognize that we fall short on a daily basis, but that’s not an excuse to take God’s grace for granted and abuse God’s grace by continuing in our sins.
Back to the question: How does God fill me with the knowledge of His will? The answer to this question is the meat of this message. It is essential and practical for Christian living.
God fill you with the knowledge of His will, but He does so through His inspired and special revelation, the word of God.
It is proper, then, to interpret this prayer that the Colossians may be filled BY God through His Word.
Paul says in Colossians 3:16 to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
To obtain this knowledge, three things must happen in your life.
First, you must desire this knowledge.
When it comes to this desire, there should that spiritual desperateness for this knowledge of God.
When you are not fed with physical food, your body doesn’t get the energy and nutrients it needs to function properly.
If you continue not to eat, you may experience serious issues, such as malnutrition, organ damage, and even death.
When you’re starving to death, there is that desperateness for food.
Just like how babies are desperate for food when they’re starving, so you are to be desperate for God’s word.
When you do not desire and feed on God’s word, you will be spiritually malnourished and weak.
You are to be LIKE a newborn babies that desire and long for the pure spiritual milk, which is the word of God, so that by this milk you may grow up into salvation.
Second, you must depend on the Holy Spirit.
Have you tried to read the Bible and not understand what it is saying? Or maybe you got bored and have fallen asleep?
You cannot understand the knowledge of God apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
It is where the Spirit enlightens you to His word and opens up your eyes to see the wonderful things from Scripture.
It is through the Spirit that we know God and the things that He has revealed to us.
The underlining aspect of this 2nd point is that there is a raging battle going on in your mind. Let me try to illustrate this with Paul’s word:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Even though you have become a born-again Christian, you must remember that you still possess the indwelling sin.
The only way to conquer the flesh and mortify the indwelling sin is by yielding to the Holy Spirit for direction and empowerment.
This certainly requires you to be humble and ask Him to help you to understand the knowledge of God.
Third, you must know and study the Scriptures.
Scripture - the Bible - is the very inspired word of God.
And it is profitable. It is useful. For what?
For teaching
For rebuking
For correcting
For training in righteousness
So that it produces a result whereby the man of God is complete and equipped for every good work.
Biting more than you can chew.
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL
When it comes to knowing God’s will, it is not a secret.
KNOWLEDGE OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING
Wisdom (Sophia) is mentioned five other times in this letter. It is defined as “the capacity to understand and function accordingly.” Understanding (synesis) is the ability to perceive and comprehend. Wisdom and understanding are often connected in Scripture. For instance, in Exodus 31:3, Bezalel was filled by God with the Spirit of God, to use his ability and knowledge for craftsmanship. Believers who comprehend the knowledge of God’s will through His Word would know how to live practically (wisely) in their Christian life.
Paul teaches that knowledge and practice should be synchronized with each other. Knowledge is meaningless and valueless without practice and living. One can be puffed up with pride with knowledge without the practice of love (See 1 Corinthians 8:1). Jesus condemned the Pharisees for supposedly knowing the Old Testament, but they failed to practice justice and love. On the other hand, practice without knowledge could be deadly. One can spiritually starve to death by continuing to serve without feeding fed by the knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. Believers need to integrate knowledge and practice into his or her life in order to grow spiritually and discern the will of God.
[SLIDE 21] Application
Of course, there’s the Bible reading. You may have put off Bible reading in 2022, and perhaps you’re going to restart your plan again in 2023.
Conclusion
For example, you have been putting off the importance of exercising in 2022, but you feel even more motivated now that it is January 1st, 2023.
We start off strong with high motivation and energy, but the problem is that we end poorly. In fact, we don’t just end poorly, we give up easily.
An analysis from Strata suggests that it is usually the 3rd week of January that folks start to slowly give up.
And this analytic is just on the topic of exercising.
Now, I have no issues with folks making new years resolution.
But my concern is if you are grounding your new goals in life based on your emotional high with the new year, month and date, and not on principles, disciplines, and self-control, you may not get very far.
Let’s face reality. The new year just FEELS new until February. If you’re like me, you may be thinking, “Wow, January went by really fast.” And then the days may just feel like another day.
If I can reference another passage of Scripture regarding the consequences for the lack of knowledge, I want to briefly draw your attention to Hebrews 5:11-14.
To put it in a graphic manner, spiritually speaking, there are some Christian - who have been believers for a long time - who are still wearing spiritual diapers and drinking from the spiritual baby bottle. In other words, spiritually immature.
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Now, to be frank, one of the things that I am still trying figure out both biblically and practically is if it is normal or an exception that a Christian can be in a VERY slow process of growing spiritually.