Give Thanks to God for Faith, Love and Hope
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Colossians 1:3 .
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Who is God?
He is our father (Col. 1:2).
Paul is building off of the OT foundation of God being Israel’s Father, as first seen in Exodus 4:22-23.
22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,
23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”
We Gentiles are then brought into the family by faith just like Abraham. Our faith is placed in Jesus, God’s Son, which makes us sons, thus bringing us into the promises of God, confirmed by the seal of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:12-17; Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-7).
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
God as our Father sets the standard of what fatherhood should look like for earthly fathers, as seen in Hebrews 12:3-11
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We give thanks for our Heavenly Father, who disciplines us for our good.
He is the Father of Jesus.
This is giving Jesus credibility, for he is the only unique Son of God.
Who is Jesus?
He is the Son of God.
Paul is reminding us of the authority of Jesus, since he is the only unique son of God, which God declares in Psalm 2; John 3:16.
He is our Lord.
Paul is doing two things by giving Jesus the title of Lord.
First, he is reminding us who is in charge of our lives.
Second, he is reminding us that Jesus is the Lord of all, as he clearly states in Philippians 2:9-11, which is drawn from Isaiah 45:22-23.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He is the Christ.
Christ is not Jesus’ last name, but his title in the Greek, which means “anointed one.” In the Hebrew, it is the word Messiah. Psalm 2:2-6 states this.
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
We give thanks for Jesus- our Lord, the Lord of Lords, and God’s Anointed One.
What are Paul and Timothy doing?
They are always giving thanks to God in prayer for the Colossians.
“Always” communicates the idea of an attitude of gratitude, and an attitude of continual communication with God who is always present with us. A good practical book to explore this discipline is by Brother Lawrence: “The Practice of the Presence of God.” You can click or scan the QR code for convenient ordering. https://www.christianbook.com/the-practice-of-the-presence-god/brother-lawrence/9780800785994/pd/0785991?cb_src=google&cb_typ=search&cb_cmp=17237028942&cb_adg=139435066249&cb_kyw=the%20practice%20of%20the%20presence%20of%20god&utm_source=google&kw=29064775092&mt=&dv=c&event=PPCSRC&p=1186432&utm_medium=cpc&snav=GSEARCH&gclid=CjwKCAjw1K-zBhBIEiwAWeCOFxdIvifqcYl-4UnxXHWjS5Fi42n1DoZrm2D-qh7eJujoH6vFqRoDOxoCI2MQAvD_BwE
We are often challenged to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and an attitude of prayer.
Lament has been a very helpful discipline in helping me maintaining an attitude of gratitude, because it gives me a healthy way to express the negative emotions that I am feeling. Often when following the pattern of lament, I find myself full of gratitude toward God because he hears my hurts and is also working those hurts for my good and his glory. Lament releases the negative emotions and reminds me of God’s faithfulness and work. If you have not learned the practice of lament, I encourage you to do so. Click or scan this QR code if you want to learn how to lament. https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/715706-preparing-for-lament
Colossians 1:4-5 .
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,
Their attitude of gratitude and prayer for the Colossians started when they heard of their faith, their love for saints, and their hope in the heavens, all of this flowing out of the gospel of truth.
Paul and Timothy set the example of having an attitude of thanksgiving toward others. We often find it far easier to think of all the complaints we have about others. Paul and Timothy model a better way. If you have complaints, then lament them before God, and in doing so it will make space in your heart to give thanks for your brothers and sisters in this room, in this community, and across the world.
The Colossians possess three things that Paul and Timothy are giving thanks for.
First, their faith in Jesus, the Anointed One.
May we never take for granted the salvation of the saints. Let’s give thanks for the faith of our brothers and sisters.
Second, their love for all the saints.
May we never take for granted the love of the saints. Jesus said in John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” May we love as he first loved us, having an attitude of gratitude for the love shown in the church.
Third, their hope laid up for them in the heavens.
Thank God for hope, the sure and steadfast hope of Jesus, as written in Hebrews 6:17–20. “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Thank God for the hope of Jesus, for he has passed through the heavens, making the way for our brothers and sisters in Christ to follow. Thank God for their hope in the heavens.
Colossians 1:6 .
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,
Faith, love and hope are the fruit of the gospel of truth. This is the result of proclaiming the gospel and making disciples. Thank God the gospel is bearing fruit in the world and in our hearts. May we, with hearts of gratitude, proclaim and live the gospel.
Colossians 1:7-8 .
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.
Epaphras followed in Paul and Timothy’s example as a fellow servant of Jesus, and with a heart of gratitude, proclaimed and lived the gospel. The result is the gospel flourishing in Colossae and in the known world.
Church, may we follow the examples of Paul, Timothy and Epaphras in being servants of Jesus, who with attitudes of gratitude and prayer, proclaim the gospel of truth to the sick and dying in the world around us, so they to may have faith, love and hope in the God who loves them, giving us further opportunity for thanksgiving and prayer.
