Christian Maturity (part 2)

Welcome

We are continuing our study on Colossians this week. Last week we began looking at Colossians 1:9-14, this passage where Paul continues to encourage the believers at Colossae toward Christian maturity by telling them how he and the other disciples are praying for them consistently and ceaselessly.

Colossians 1:9–14 CSB

9 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 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 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 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

[pray]

We’ve had quite a bit of discussion over the last few weeks about this word, “saints” when Paul is referring to the believers in Colossae. The original Greek term is ἅγιος hagios and it refers to one who is considered holy or set apart. The sense means that it is one who is considered morally pure. I won’t go into much detail this morning as we have discussed it at length, but for those who have not been here, I just want to provide a simple clarification. The Roman Catholic and Easter Orthodox traditions refer to saints in this way, however they treat the saints as special and extra-holy believers who have died and now reside in heaven. They create images to celebrate these special believers and in some cases allow for people to pray to these saints for extra favors or protection.

However, the Bible does not talk about saints in this way. The Bible does not elevate believers who have died and promote them in any special manner. We can see in scripture that saints are ordinary believer who are holy by their connection to Christ, but they are not revered or treated like super-holy believers worthy of extra praise. You and I are considered saints when we are one with Christ, we believe in him, and we have been saved by his sacrifice on the cross, and we have been pardoned from our sins.

That is not meant to put down or belittle our Catholic brothers and sisters or say that they are anything less than we are. There are many Catholic believers in Christ who can be considered saints in the same way that you and I, who are found in Christ, can be considered saints. However, in the same token there are many so-called “good Baptists” that might be good at doing church, but cannot be found in Christ, just like there are many who consider themselves good Catholics, who are in the same position before God..

Principle: Our status as saints is to be found in Christ.

I. Paul Encourages Christian’s Maturity

Picking up our text in verse 9, Paul continues his previous explanation of his prayers and continues encouraging them toward Christian maturity.

Colossians 1:9 CSB

9 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,

Paul believed in the power of prayer and he talked about it a lot in his letters.

In his letter to the Philippian church about rejoicing, he said that prayers would lead to his salvation (or his vindication) from his status as a prisoner (Phil 1:19).

He wrote to Philemon, his friend and fellow worker in ministry, expressing his belief that his prayers would bring him to a reunion, where he believed that they would see each other again (Phm 22).

He wrote to many of the early churches saying almost the exact same words that he told the Colossian church. He told them that he mentioned them constantly in his prayers along with the others who were with him.

He also repeatedly asked others to pray for him, that he would have every opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Christ.

Paul believed in prayer and this led him not only to pray for others, but also to ask others to pray for him.

The Process of Sanctification

We touched on this Process of Sanctification during our discussions this past Wednesday night as we studied this text.

[By the way, if you are not joining us on Wednesday nights, let me tell you that you’re missing out on the best night of the week. We are gathering together to worship together, pray for each other, and study the same text that we are discussing on Sunday mornings. We gather at 6pm or so for a meal and then start our Bible study at 7 pm with separate classes in English and Spanish, as well as gatherings for the youth and the children.]

We touched on this on Wednesday night as we were studying verses 9 & 10, it occurred to me that there seems to be a guide for Bible study that provides for the application of learning to the way that we live our Christian lives.

1. Prayer for Spiritual Intelligence

Paul picks up this prayer telling the believers as Colossae that he asks God to give them Spiritual Intelligence.

Colossians 1:9–10 CSB

9 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,

Here in the second part of verse 9, Paul talks about three levels of learning...

Three Levels of Learning: 1) Knowledge 2) Wisdom 3) Understanding

Knowledge is the first level of learning. How many of you remember back to when you were in school and you needed to study something to pass a test. Maybe you were memorizing something or trying to get some fact to stick in your brain long enough to pass a test. How many of you remember those facts still today? Some of you might remember, but many of you have forgotten those things that you crammed into your brain during a late night learning session. You might know something without believing it or accepting it and applying it to your life. Knowledge is the first level of learning.

Wisdom is an intermediate level of learning. Wisdom is generally considered to be knowledge that is underscored by experience and good judgment. One cannot be considered wise without putting some experience behind their learning. It is for this reason that many higher levels of education are connected with practical experience, which is designed to reiterate learning and help the lessons to stick for a longer period of time.

Understanding is the deepest level of learning. Understanding indicates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. It is through understanding that connections are made and application of the learning to real world experiences can be made.

Let’s look at verse 9 & 10 again...

Colossians 1:9 CSB

9 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,

Paul is praying that these believers be filled with knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding. However, to what end? Verse 10 tells us...

Colossians 1:10 CSB

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,

His interest in their learning is so that they might “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.”

This is the ultimate goal of learning, especially spiritual learning...

The ultimate goal of spiritual learning is that it points to the application of the learning to the living of a life that is worthy.

Colossae at this time suffered from a fascination with philosophy and debate, as did many cultures throughout the Greco-Roman Empire. Understanding this it makes complete sense that Paul would pray for wisdom and spiritual understanding. His desire for Colossae is that they would have enough understanding of God’s ways that they would be able to “walk worthy of the Lord,” as he stated in the beginning of verse 10.

Principle: Spiritual intelligence powers spiritual action.

Paul knew that spiritual knowledge can only come from God. It can never spring out of philosophy or debate. You’re never going to be able to argue anyone toward a point of wisdom. But God can—and does—give people knowledge of himself and fan their spirit to know more about himself, and he can move their feet to action. Again, that is the ultimate goal of learning and spiritual growth… we always want to see spiritual action.

If you do not have spiritual action in your life, it is either because you are not saved or you have not yet learned to take spiritual action.

Let’s take a look at what spiritual action looks like in the life of an active and connected believer of Jesus Christ...

Spiritual Actions

1) Prayer 2) Bible study 3) Self-reflection in light of scripture 4) Confession of sins and repentance 5) Living a transformed life based on what you’ve learned 6) Sharing your faith or talking to others about their faith 7) Praying for and encouraging others to live a life that is more connected to God 8) Serving those in need by exhibiting the love and care of Christ.

WARNING: If you see no evidence of these things in your life, it is your duty as a Christian to figure our why and make the changes necessary to learn how to include these actions in your daily walk.

2. Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Paul continues saying that he wants Spiritual Intelligence to lead these believers to Spiritual Growth...

Colossians 1:10 CSB

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,

A. Walk Worthy of the Lord - Pleasing Him

Paul says that he wants them to “walk worthy of the Lord” which is Paul’s way of saying that he wants them to “live lives that are worthy of the Lord.” This “walking” and “living” is action based. As I have said before, our actions, our works, cannot bring us to salvation, but our salvation can bring us to good works.

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

B. Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work

And it follows that a walk that is pleasing to the Lord is one that bears fruit. Sometimes we might think that bearing fruit is always about winning souls. While evangelism and leading people to God is important, that’s not always what bearing fruit means.

Jesus instructed his disciples saying...

John 15:5 CSB

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

While Jesus is the vine, you and I are the branches. A branch does not produce fruit or do much else than hold onto the fruit. In the same way, we can do nothing or complete the work without the power of Christ within us.

Paul picked up on this by giving us the Fruit of the Spirit...

Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Fruit-bearing work is every bit as much about the fruit of the Spirit as it is about reaping the harvest of souls through evangelism.

Colossians 1:10 CSB

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,

Paul taught us that bearing fruit is dependent upon action, which is found in the knowledge of God.

Principle: God teaches what is good. He prepares us for what is good. He leads us to do good, and He empowers us to do good.

Paul knows that living is what consumes us while we are on this earth. And he knows that the source of Christian living is to be found in God, because it is “in him [that] we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

What Paul is really saying here in verses 9-10 is that Christian belief is inextricably connected with Christian behavior. He saw the Christian life as a striving to live a life that was worthy of pleasing our Lord Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:9 CSB

9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.

Paul goes on to say that the result of this lifestyle is that it bears fruit through good works and that the spiritual knowledge continues to expand.

It is our lifelong work to know God and grow in Him and take action based on this knowledge.

How are you progressing along this path of Christian living?

Do you work to know God and make him known to others?

3. Prayer for Spiritual Power

Verse 11 tells us that we are empowered, strengthened, even, to do these good works and that power comes from God...

Colossians 1:11–12 CSB

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul said...

Ephesians 6:10 CSB

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.

In fact, while our humanity remains weak, the power of God is ready to step in… 2 Cor 12:10b says “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

And, Philippians 4:13—an often misquoted verse—tells us...

Philippians 4:13 CSB

13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

While this often quoted verse reminds us that “we can do all things in Christ, who strengthens us,” perhaps a better understanding of Philippians 4:13 says that “Christ strengthens us to do everything that God has put before us to do”—since Paul is referring to the things he stated prior to verse 13.

I love Dr. Todd Still’s interpretation of 2 Corinthians 4:7, which says, “[We] have this treasure [that is, Christ’s presence] in jars of clay [which is to say, within our feeble selves] to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

God’s power and strength gives us both great endurance and patience. We have this combination so that we will not grow weak in the task...

Galatians 6:9 CSB

9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

As we have reached our 110th year as a church, it would be really easy for us to just give up on ministry. We might look at all this that has been accomplished and think, “We’ve done enough!” We might think it’s time to sit back and let someone else do their part. We look around at a changing world and say that we cannot connect any longer. Too much has changed and we are no longer relevant. This is a natural cycle of life. We sometimes see those that do this in life and sometimes we see churches do this.

However, I can tell you that the work is not yet done. We must remain true to the task that God has put before us. Paul put the challenge to the believers in Corinth, saying this...

1 Corinthians 15:58 CSB

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

While this church is mature, perhaps at 110 years it is beyond mature and has reached a ripe, old age. Yet we are still called to reach the young and those around us who do not know Christ. Here in our ripe old age, can we respond as Nehemiah taught the Israelites, saying “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength” (Neh 8:10).

How can we be better at reaching the world that is here at our doorstep?

The answer to that question is that we have a power within us that exceeds anything we might imagine.

This is something that Paul thanked God for as he celebrated our inheritance in Christ...

Colossians 1:12 CSB

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

Paul states clearly here that the believers in Colossae are eligible to claim a place alongside the very saints that we read about in scripture.

Why do I call this the Process of Sanctification?

Sanctification is a life-long process of learning to be holy and set apart. It takes us our whole life to learn how to be a saint. And this process of reading and comprehending scripture, practicing it, and serving others is something that we should never be done with in our lives. Some of the most holy saints that I know personally, have a life long practice of perfecting this process and allowing scripture to transform them and shape them into being something that is wholly pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.

II. We Have Been Rescued & Redeemed

Finally Paul reminded the believers at Colossae of the rescue and redemption that we gain as a part of our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins...

Colossians 1:13–14 CSB

13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul says that we have been rescued and he writes here as if we have already been transferred into the kingdom of Christ. We live in an already not yet state of being. While we are with Christ and in Christ, we are still in our physical form and in this world.

In this already/not yet state of being, we can find reason to praise God for the inheritance that we share in Christ. It is as though the closing on the heavenly property has taken place, but we have not yet been handed the keys to our new home.

Conclusion