02 - Supernatural Love And Sustaining Hope 2011

Last time we saw that Paul was initially prodded to pen his epistle to the Colossians because of the threat of the false teaching of Gnosticism. We also saw…

Paul’s passion for people (1:1-2), for prayer (1:3), and for principle (1:4-5).

Now this time we’re first going to look at…

Paul’s passion for progress (1:6), for preachers (1:7-8), and for perspective (1:9-14).

But first, let’s wrap up his passion for principle. Paul’s favorite trilogy of words was faith, hope and love. We saw last time that we all have faith and use faith every day in many different ways.

We have faith our car will start, the refrigerator will cool, the electricity will flow to our various utensils and light sockets. What transforms our mundane faith into saving faith is its object. The Bible says, “Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth” (Is.45:22). Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”

The only saving faith is the faith that is placed in Jesus Christ! Anything else is faith that will disappoint.

Next, Paul mentions our love. “…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;”—vs. 4

This is not easy. In fact, loving like Jesus loves is a supernatural thing that only God can empower us to do. He says “Love for ALL saints!” That includes Brother Backbiter, and Sister Axegrinder, and Brother Tonguewagger, and Sister Tattletale.

It is hard to imagine, but Jesus loved Pilate as much as He did Peter. He loved his brother James as much as He loved His disciple James. He loved Saul as much as He loved Simon. And He loved Judas as much as He loved John!

This incredible agape love must flow from a spirit that is utterly yielded to God, and from a soul that has spent much time in the Word and prayer. This kind of love is God’s kind of love.

The order Paul uses is important. First faith, then love, and then hope. Faith comes first because faith has to do with the content of salvation. Our faith is in Christ Jesus. Faith has to do with the bedrock certainties of salvation purchased for us at Calvary. Faith is what links us to the Word of God, to the work of Christ, and to the witness of the Spirit. Without first exercising faith, nothing else of heaven is ours.

Love comes next. Where faith has to do with the content of our salvation, love has to do with the character of our salvation. Love present in our lives is the evidence and mark of the genuineness of our salvation. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”—John 13:35 The very first fruit of the Spirit the Bible mentions is love.

Hope comes last. “…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,”—vs. 5 Where faith has to do with the content of our salvation, and love with the character of our salvation, hope has to do with the consummation of our salvation.

Now, Bible hope is not the same as the world’s kind of hope. If we were to ask someone, “Are you saved?” and they replied, “I hope so,” we wouldn’t be very impressed with their faith. But that is the world’s definition of hope. It is “iffy”, wishy-washy, maybe so, perhaps so kind of hope.

But Bible hope is much stronger than that. It is solid, unshakable, and steady because it is based in eternal truth. Our hope is treasured up in heaven. Hope looks ahead. Hope has to do with the future. Our hope is guaranteed by God Himself in His infallible Word!

Bible hope says, Jesus is coming soon. There is a place built for me in glory. One day soon I will see the One Who died for me. Bible hope manifests itself in a confident expectation of good in regards to the future. Faith believes it; hope expects it!

Next, we find Paul’s passion for progress:

“… 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;”—vs.6

Notice that the great Apostle had a world vision. He was a Jew by birth, was raised in a Greek city, and was a Roman citizen. His perceptive mind knew that neither Jewish light, nor Greek logic, nor Roman law could meet the needs of the human heart. But the Gospel could!

While Paul was writing to the Colossians, the gospel was rapidly taking root “in all the world…” There was already an eastward march to Babylon, and on to India and the Far East. Paul had his sights set on Spain. Paul had already preached from Jerusalem to modern Yugoslavia, a swath of about 1,500 miles. The gospel was already spreading into Africa, Asia, and Europe.

“Reach the world! Go, Go, Go!” was Paul’s heartbeat. He knew that the Holy Spirit was “the Lord of the harvest,” so Paul prophetically used the present tense in Romans 10:18 when he wrote, “Their sound (gospel preachers) is come to you as it is in all the world,” even though global evangelism was yet in its infancy. He spoke of what had not yet come as though it had!

Next, Paul brags on Epaphras, the pastor of the Colossian church:

“…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.”—vs.7-8

Paul was very wise. He knew that the cult leaders would be busy blackening Epaphras’ name and taking advantage of his absence. And, as is always the case, there would be those willing enough to listen to both their slanders and their cultic teaching.

So Paul gave the embattled pastor his word of support and commendation. No higher seal of approval was available than that of Paul!

Next, Paul bursts into prayer and prays one of the most powerful prayers in scripture.

“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;”—vs.9

We have to smile here because, like it or not, the guards Paul was chained to had to partake of a prayer meeting! Paul prays first for their spiritual vision. He wants the Colossian Christians to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. He prayed also for their spiritual vitality and their spiritual victory.

Since the Gnostic cult was attacking their minds, they needed knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Remember, Satan always goes after the mind. Ever since the Fall, the mind of man has been particularly susceptible to Satan’s deceptions. So Paul prays for their enlightenment, that truth would hold sway over deception.

The Gnostics claimed to have a “special or superior kind of knowledge.” Paul was scornful of this claim. The knowledge Paul mentions in praying for the Christians means “precise or additional knowledge.” He wanted them “filled with knowledge of God’s will.”

The “wisdom and spiritual understanding” Paul prays for has to do with cleverness and skill and the right application of knowledge. It is possible to have knowledge without wisdom, to be a walking encyclopedia of Bible facts yet have no wisdom as to how to apply them. Smart people do foolish things all the time. The need of the hour is for wisdom, which enables us to use knowledge accurately.

The “spiritual understanding” Paul prays for has to do with discernment. It is the ability to look at things critically and objectively and to discern the true from the false. There has rarely been a time when the church seemed to be so lacking in discernment, yet in such desperate need of it.

The Colossians were in grave danger of deception through clever error. So Paul prayed like Elisha did for his frightened servant, ““LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”—2 Kings 6:17

Next, Paul prays for their spiritual vitality:

“…that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; vs. 10

The word “walk” Paul uses refers to “the outward life that men see.” If the outward life is pleasing to God, it will be beyond criticism by men. We should resolve that our every step will be pleasing to the Lord. The phrase, “fully pleasing to Him” carries the idea of “meeting all His wishes.”

Summarizing, Paul prays for their spiritual vision, their spiritual vitality, and next, Paul prays for their spiritual victory:

“…strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”—vs.11

Paul wants us to know that all of God’s boundless, mighty resources are at our disposal in our battle with Satan’s forces. We are not left to ourselves to, in essence, shoot a squirt gun at the sun! On the contrary, He Himself lives within each blood-bought believer to release all of His own boundless resources so that we can serve Him as He wants to be served.

“If God be for us,” cried Paul, “who can be against us?” (Ro. 8:31).

Now notice carefully the connection between God’s power and our ability to exercise patience and longsuffering…with joy. Not only can we be patient, but we can do it with joy! When we think of patience in trials, we think of Job. But when we think of patience and longsuffering with joy, we think of Jesus!

Think about this: Jesus’ legacy to us as His children is—joy! Jesus said, “11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

And again He said, “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you” (John 15:11; 16:22).

It is joy, writes John Phillips, which enables us to trace the rainbow through the rain, and that enabled martyrs to sing in the midst of the flames that engulfed them.” Joy is not mere happiness. Happiness depends on a happening. Joy, on the other hand, flows from God’s throne. It is the 2nd fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Gal.5:22.

Thus, Paul prayed. Vision! Vitality! Victory! Once these things fill us with the fragrance and the fruitfulness of the very life of Christ, the Devil is robbed of all of his power.

NEXT TIME : The Truth About Jesus Christ