Colossians 1:3-8 - Report of Thanksgiving

The Word Read

I invite you to turn your attention to Colossians 1:3-8 this morning. It is vitally important that you see the text with me not simply hear it - for in the Word of God we see the glory of God which drives us to God-glorifying, Christ-magnifying, and Spirit-driven worship. So, let us open our Bibles to Colossians 1:3-8. Hear the Word of the Lord:

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Behold, brothers and sisters, this is Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let us pray.

Summation & Diagnosis

Last week we looked at Paul’s greeting to the Colossians. In our verses today, we will see Paul give thanks to God for this church. Paul is thankful for the work God has done in their lives. He is thankful for their faith, love, and hope. He is thankful for the power of the Gospel both in this city and in the world. Finally, he is thankful for Epaphras a beloved fellow servant/minister of Christ. The thanksgiving here is ultimately rooted in God and His work in this church, not merely the church’s activities/programs/ministries. So as we make our way through these verses, we must ultimately remember the growth of this church, from evangelism to discipleship to church planting to where they are in the moment, is centered squarely on the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Growth comes by the hand of the Lord and the faithful/obedient response of His people to His leading.

Colossians 1:3-5a - Exegesis

Let us turn our attention to Colossians 1:3-5a where we see a triad of faith, love, and hope:

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Paul and Timothy thank God - the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their thankfulness is rooted in the Father, not in the Colossians. God alone is the proper object of praise and worship. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ is the son of the Father. This is critically important in the book of Colossians. Why? We must remember that one reason Paul is writing is because of false teaching. He writes that the Lordship and Messianic title (Christ) given to Jesus comes from God the Father. Jesus as Lord and Messiah does not come from Paul, Epaphras, Timothy, or the apostles. Jesus as Lord and Messiah comes from the Father and the Father alone. The person and work of Christ. The Father is sovereign over the work of redemption. He initiated the plan long, long ago.

Paul’s and Timothy’s thankfulness to God for the Colossians pours out in prayer whenever they pray for this church. They are both driven to thankfulness for the church, but why? There are three reasons: 1) their faith in Christ Jesus, 2) their love for all the saints, and 3) the hope laid up for them in heaven.

First, their faith in Christ Jesus. Where does their faith reside? In Christ Jesus! Faith is not a work of ourselves, but of God. The Colossians faith originated in God and is sustained by God. In Christ, faith finds its ultimate and total fulfillment. Salvation given to humanity is found in Christ and Christ alone. There is no other source of salvation other than “in Christ”.

Second, the Colossians have demonstrated a love for all the saints. Due to faith in Christ they are then enabled to love all the saints. This is not a humanitarian love that extends to all people. This love is a covenantal love to others who are in Christ Jesus. This love is shaped by Christ. They are fellow brothers and sisters in the New Covenant who have been saved by God. Their faithfulness to God, in Christ, is expressed outwardly moving them to love all the saints.

Finally, the triad is finished in verse 5 with the hope laid up for them in heaven. The foundation of the Colossians having faith in Christ and loving all the saints rests on the hope that comes in the future. In the midst of false teaching Paul gives them great assurance. Christ filled all their spiritual needs because there is a hope in the future which God promised to them.

Colossians 1:3-5a - Conscience

The foundation for their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints was the hope they had laid up in heaven. This faith and love is derived from the hope that is to come. Paul calls the Colossians to look forward to their glorious hope. The hope of being with Christ! This hope brings forth their faith in Christ and love towards the saints.

Hope can be understood in many ways. Hope can be understood as wishful thinking. We hope, or wishfully think, for somethings to occur. You could hope for a raise at the end of the fiscal year. You could hope that your children sleep through the night so you get rest. You may hope that the stock market trends upward so you don’t lose money. This type of hope is not ground in anything other than an optimist wish.

However, hope here is not subjective in anyway. Hope here is objective. Hope is not rooted in our own optimism or personal experiences, but in our great God! The hope that is laid up is stored by God who is the initiator, mediator, and applier of our salvation. He is the primary actor. Consider Hebrews 11:23-26:

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Moses endured suffering. Moses rejected the wealth and status of being the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses looked forward to the eternal and permanent reward. Here is where Moses’ hope rested. Moses did not rest his hope in the temporary benefits of the world, but in what was to come!

This hope becomes our reality in the future, but it is laid up right now. The hope is reserved for us currently. We await the the day/time when we will receive this hope fully. This hope is far greater than anything we experience here on earth. For we will be with Christ. We will dwell with God. We will be in New Jerusalem experiencing the fullness of our salvation. We will flourish in holiness as the people of God with our great triune God!

Yet, do we live with this secured hope in mind right now? Do we live our lives with the hope of being with Christ as a present reality? Do we put off living fully faithful to Christ? Do we put off loving all the saints? Or do grab onto the hope that is laid up for us in heaven desiring to fully live faithful to Christ and love all the saints?

Colossians 1:3-5a - Use

The foundation for their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints was the hope they had laid up in heaven. This faith and love is derived from the hope that is to come. The hope of actually being with Christ forever. Paul brings the future to the present. We should live with a mind to our eternal home. We live in a kingdom that has already been inaugurated. Christ reigns supreme over all things, including the lives we live right now. On the other side, we wrestle against sin, the enemy, and the world. Yet our citizenship is not on earth, but in heaven as Philippians 3:20-21 states:

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Or Ephesians 2:19:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

We should constantly remind ourselves where our citizenship really is. Whenever we watch the news and become bogged down by evil and darkness, let us remember where our citizenship is as a result of Christ - in heaven. Whenever we receive news of disease and sickness, let us remember where our citizenship is - in heaven. Let our hope be in what is to come and already reserved for us - being with Christ forever in New Jerusalem.

Colossians 1:5b-7a - Exegesis

Now let us turn to Colossians 1:5b-7a where we will see the power of the Gospel bearing fruit in Colossae and in the world:

Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth

Those in the congregation had previously heard the word of the truth, the Gospel. They would have most likely heard the Gospel from Epaphras. He would have shared the Gospel with them and he ultimately became their pastor. Notice how Paul equates the word of the truth with the Gospel. Remember, Paul is dealing with false teachers in Colossae. So, the ultimate truth is the Gospel. There is only one ultimate truth and that is in the content of Christianity. However, we must ask “what is the Gospel?” There is no greater question to ask because in the Gospel is where freedom from sin is found.

The reason why this question is so important is because the Gospel has taken on false meanings over the past 2,000 years. Sadly, these distortions have not come from outside the church, but from within. The greatest threats of distorting the Gospel always come from within the church. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5:

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

This is the Gospel! Christ died for sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. Then Jesus was buried and rose again ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. The Gospel is rooted in the Old Testament and it is the work of Jesus Christ who died for our sins. Here is the Gospel! Nothing Else!

What do we see about the Gospel in these verses? It bore fruit locally and globally. Paul praises God that the Gospel is at work in Colossae and in the rest of the world. We know that the Gospel had been effective. Jesus says in Luke 13:18:

18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

We see this become a reality throughout the book of Acts. Acts 6:7:

7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 12:24:

24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

Acts 19:20:

20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

The Gospel/word of God was at work in the world. People of all ages, social classes, ethnicities were coming to know Christ as King, Lord, and Savior. The Gospel increased and prevailed mightily in the world. This was also true in Colossae. Though Paul had not visited this city, the Gospel was at work in their lives!

When did the fruit of the Gospel become evident? The very day they heard it and understood it. Understood is not a mental act. This does not mean they intellectually understood the Gospel. No, this means that their hearts were changed and they repented of sin. The knew, as Paul writes, the grace of God in truth! The Gospel is both truth and transformative power. For this church they were transformed when Epaphras, the beloved fellow servant of Christ, shared the Gospel with them. The grace of God saves undeserving sinners AND transforms them into the image of the Son over the course of their lives.

Colossians 1:5b-7a - Conscience

The transformative power of the Gospel is so clearly seen in these verses. The Gospel is powerful. The Gospel is the Word of God/Lord. The Gospel is the Word of truth. The Gospel is the good news of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ that saves sinners from sin and eternal damnation. The Gospel is mightily at work.

This is not simply true for the Colossians, but is also true of us today in 2023. The Gospel is powerful today. The Gospel is the Word of God/Lord today. The Gospel still is the one and only good news of God that saves sinners from sin and eternal damnation. The Gospel still is mightily at work in our world AND in Eden.

The Gospel when heard and understood, as Paul writes, immediately takes effect in the heart of an elect child of God. The parable of the sower gives us insight into this reality. Mark 4:1-9; 13-19:

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

When we read this parable and its meaning we are confronted with the reality that 3 out of the 4 soils were bad. These individuals did not come to know Christ, nor did they receive salvation. The first soil are those who have inhospitable hearts toward the Gospel. Satan quickly takes the Word away from them. The second soil are those who receive the Word, but persecution causes them to fall away revealing there was no true repentance. The third soil are those who hear the Word, but allow the cares of the world, riches, and life to choke out the Gospel revealing unfruitfulness. However, it is the four soil who hears the world and bears fruit.

This field produces fruit. The transformative power of the Gospel takes root in the elect and causes them to produce fruit. Their lives are marked by repentance, victory over sin and the enemy, gradually growing in the image of Christ, and proclaiming the Gospel to others.

This is the power of the Gospel. The Gospel took root in the lives of the Colossians and produced fruit. They became followers of Jesus, grew in grace, gradually became more and more like Jesus, lived holier and for the glory of God, and they proclaimed the work of Christ to others. This is the power of the Gospel! This is the good news promised in the Old Testament by God Himself. This is the good news of the covenant of redemption. This is the good news of our God saving and sustaining us!

Colossians 1:5b-7a - Use

This Gospel is at work in Eden at this very moment. The Gospel is transforming the lives of many this Sunday morning. I have no doubt there are residents in our city who are hearing this message this morning in dozens of churches. They are hearing the good news that Christ died for them. He took their punishment. He took their sin. They can come to Him, repent, and be forgiven. The Gospel of God is at work prevailing against the flesh, the enemy, and the world.

Yet, the Gospel is also for us. The Gospel should be the great, good news that is our anchor. Paul writes in Romans 1:15:

15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul knew believers need to hear the Gospel over and over again. The Gospel is not just good news for unbelievers, but also for believers! We need to hear it over and over again. We need to remind ourselves of Christ work for us! How often do we dwell on the Gospel? Do we find ourselves cherishing the work of Christ on our behalf often? Or has the Gospel become a story that no longer moves us? Maybe at times it does, but does it move us each and every day? Furthermore, do we see fruit in our lives? Do we see the work of God producing fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold like the parable of the sower? Can we point to how the work of God has produced fruit in our lives individually and as a congregation as Paul writes about in Colossians 1:6?

Here there is a great call for us to seriously examine our lives. If there has been no long-lasting fruit in our lives, we must examine our hearts. Are we one of the first three soils? Or has the Spirit produced fruit since the day we heard and understood the Gospel? Yes, there are times when we fall into sin. Yes, there are times when we are apathetic in our walk with Him. However, we must seriously examine our hearts if we felt conviction by the Holy Spirit as we read these verses and the parable of the sower. If the Spirit has picked your heart alerting you that you are in the first three souls, cry out to Him! Let the cry of repentance flow from a repentant heart. Flee to Christ where sin can only be forgiven!

If we have grown apathetic in our walk, come to the great throne of grace. Confess the apathy and ask Him to revive the heart. Seek forgiveness. There are many people, and churches, who say “I desire to see a revival in our nation.” Yet, there has never been repentance in our hearts. We will never see revival in our own churches, let alone our nation, if we do not humbly come to the father first seeking repentance. God, help us to cherish the Gospel. Forgive us for being complacent in our walk with You. Let the Gospel bear thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold fruit in our own lives and in FPC! Let the praise report of Paul in these verses be true of us today!

Colossians 1:7b-8 - Exegesis

Now we come to the last sentence in this passage where we will see the faithful minister Epaphras:

He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Epaphras was mentioned as a beloved fellow servant or slave in the first part of 1:7. Here he is called a faithful minister of Christ. Not only are the Colossians as a church called faith, but their minister is faithful as well. The object of Epaphras ministry is not a what, but a who. The object of his ministry is Christ Jesus. This is his focus and his aim. Christ is his Master and Lord.He is also ministering on their behalf. Epaphras delightfully brings the report of the Colossians to Paul. In the report, Epaphras made Paul and Timothy aware of their love in the Spirit. Out of all the aspects of the church, Epaphras emphasizes the love the church has in the Spirit of God.

Colossians 1:7b-8 - Conscience

Epaphras is a model for faithful pastoral/elder ministry. Epaphras is a beloved slave of Christ. He is a faithful minister who intercedes on behalf of his congregation. The role of an elder is clearly articulated in 1 Peter 5:2-3:

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

An elder/pastor is called to shepherd the flock of God, excessing oversight willingly not under compulsion and not for shameful gain. Finally they are called to be examples of the flock.

Colossians 1:7b-8 - Use

I find it in the providence of God that our passage today speaks of Epaphras as a faithful minister as we ourselves will affirm the call of God upon two Ruling Elders this morning. For those of us who are in elder/pastoral leaders at FPC, this is our call. We are called to shepherd the flock with tenderness. We are to be the examples to the flock. Our lives are meant to be the examples to others. So to my fellow elders, I pray the Gospel bears immense fruit in our lives in 2023-2024. I pray that we set the example to the flock for what it means to live a life fully to the glory of God. We are called, by God Himself, to be the examples of Christlikeness to the church. I pray we take our eldership seriously knowing that we are held accountable to God. I pray we follow the example set by Epaphras - we are beloved fellow slaves, faithful ministers of Christ Jesus interceding on behalf of the congregation.

I pray that as elders this year we would have the heart of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2 - that we would see to know nothing other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I pray that our hearts would be humble in repentance and revival. Then as a result of God changing us, we would see the Gospel bear great fruit in our congregation because we’ve model this. May the great God of Heaven bear fruit in our church. May the Gospel continually transform each of us every single day and may the Gospel grip the hearts of those here today who don’t know Him.