Colossians 1:9-11
Notes
Transcript
9 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;
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
For this reason:
The Gospel has come to them and through them. It is causing fruit to be born among the believers in the Church, and it is changing people’s lives.
Do not cease to pray for you:
Paul and Timothy are continuously praying for the believers in Colossae. What is he praying for them for? Is there an issue within the church or is he praying simply for their well-being?
The word “cease” does not mean to just stop. It actually carries forth the idea of not pausing. The literal word is “pow’-o” in the Greek.
Filled:
When something is full, there is no room for anything else. This is key to living a Christian lifestyle. If we remain full of God, there is no room for the devil to sneak in.
the knowledge of His will:
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The Greek word for knowledge is “epignosis”. The implication of the word is more than just awareness, or shear thought. It is more of a self-awareness, or acknowledgment of something. The idea is to have “full discernment”.
Knowledge, Wisdom & Understanding:
All of these words have to do with the mental capacity. It it the “putting together” of all information available so that one might “know/understand” the fullness of the situation.
These words are also prefaced with “His will” and “spiritual”.
When putting all of this together, it means that we must use what is before us (God’s Word, previous experience, advice of others), but that we must also use that which is available unto us (prayer, meditation, the Holy Spirit, etc.)
That you may walk worthy of the Lord:
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Paul uses this phrase many times when speaking to the Church. The Greek term for walk is “peripateo” and carries forth the idea of walking step by step. It means to control and order our behavior, to constantly and habitually walk in “newness of life”.
Fully pleasing Him:
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
This is the only time this word appears in scripture. It pairs with the word walk, and carries forth a meaning of purpose. We are to walk in a way that pleases God, a way that is in His will
21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Being fruitful in every good work:
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
This is the same word used in the parable of the sower in Mark 4. It is the evidence of salvation. Paul is praying that these Christians would bare the mark of Jesus in living a lifestyle that screams His name.
“Good” here speaks of morals and “work” speaks of a duty, like a job. When put together, we see that Christians have a God-given duty to be morally good in everything.
Increasing in the knowledge of God:
To increase is to grow. Knowledge here means knowledge gained through relationship (a knowledge that is built upon what was previously known). We will grow in Christ with His help and guidance, but also coupled with our effort to seek Him.
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
According to His glorious power:
Glory speaks of honor. It is the honor God receives due to His majestic nature. Coupled with power, it means that God is “all-powerful”, or that His exhibited power is more than any other has ever shown. He is “El-Shaddai”!!!
It is through His almighty power that we draw from, when we are tapped in.
Strengthened with all might....for all patience and longsuffering with joy:
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.