"All We Need"

He is ALL WE NEED.

Colossians 1:9-11

Bible Passage

Colossians 1:9-11 (ESV - English Standard Version)

9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

INTRODUCTION

LAST TIME:

"Fruit of Hope:  Love"

Intro to Colossians

Ephesians vs Colossians

Ephesians will GROUND you in the faith

Colossians will LIFT you into the HEAVENS where Christ is

TWO Issues

Rome is NOT your HOPE

The beginning of SYNCRETISM

Syncretism = the merging of different religions and philosophies

We have the SAME things going on in our American Culture

"Fruit of Hope"

"Hope RESERVED"

"Faith OBSERVED"

"Love SERVED"

TODAY:

"Filled with Knowledge"

"Walk in a Worthy Manner"

"Being Strengthed with All Power"

1

"Filled With The Knowledge"

Bible Passage

Colossians 1:9 (ESV - English Standard Version)

9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Explanation

"We have not ceased to pray for you"

This is NOT a literal meaning that they are perpetually on their knees interceding for the Colossians

IN OTHER WORDS...

We pray for you all the time

We consistently pray for you

ILL:  You ever hear folks say, "I'll be praying for you"

Have you ever said that?

Is it a lie or do you really keep praying for them?

In most instances, this has become a "pleasantry"

There isn't much, if ANY meaning behind it...

Paul is saying, "Since we heard that you have been born again to a living hope and heard of your faith and have heard of the love that you have for one another, WE HAVE NOT STOPPED PRAYING FOR YOU."

WHAT DOES PAUL PRAY FOR??

"That you may be FILLED with the knowledge of His will"

This is a HUGE question that most every follower of Christ asks at some and/or many times in their lives

What is God’s will for my life??

Will:

Determination

Choice

Decree

Purpose

INCLINATION

DESIRE

PLEASURE

MOST people think "God's WILL" and they think "God’sMAP"

Everybody wants God to show them EVERY STEP they're going to take

They want to know the PLAN and the PLACE for their lives before they KNOW the PERSON WHO GIVES THEM LIFE.

The problem is....that's circumstantial focus

God wants you to KNOW His DESIRE for you and His glory, NOT what He's going to use to GET YOU THERE!!

He doesn't care if you know WHAT your circumstances will be, but that He is with you IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES

He desires for you to KNOW HIM.

Paul is praying that we would BE FILLED with the KNOWLEDGE of His DESIRE

Knowledge:  Gnosis vs Epignosis

Gnosis = General knowledge of a thing

Epignosis = specific and intimate knowledge and understanding

Paul is saying that he is praying for our INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING of WHO God is in His person and what it is that HE desires.

God is NOT a robot or a SLAVEDRIVER...He is a PERSON

He has feelings and emotions

He is the MOST ALIVE ENTITY inside and outside of Creation...

He is LIFE.

He is LOVE.

He is Holy, Holy, Holy

He is REAL

Paul is praying for our RELATIONSHIP with GOD

NOT merely knowing ABOUT Him

BUT KNOWING HIM

He wants us to be FILLED

Filled = CRAMMED; to the brim

In All Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding

Simple knowledge vs wisdom

Knowledge is knowing INFORMATION

WISDOM is UNDERSTANDING how to use it and what to do with it

Wisdom is KNOWLEDGE 

"Spiritual" 

To your SOUL

The VERY CORE of you

WHO you ARE and WHO HE IS

Application

Paul is EMPHATICALLY telling us that he desires for us to be intimate with God.

Paul is saying that God is SO HUGE that there is plenty to get started on...

We SHOULD have a GROWING DESIRE to spend time with GOD

Because that is what you do with people you LOVE

2

Walk In A Worthy Manner

Bible Passage

Colossians 1:10 (ESV - English Standard Version)

10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Explanation

"A manner worthy"

How do we walk in a worthy manner of THE GOSPEL??

VERY tall order!

Jesus IS the GOSPEL

HE is Holy, Holy, Holy

HE is the King of kings

HE is the Lord of lords

Worthy = appropriately

We need to live our lives in a way that is IN LINE with EVERYTHING the Gospel is

We need to keep ourselves "unstained" by the world

The Kingdom is HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, and PURE

The Kingdom is ON THE MOVE

Are YOU on the MOVE

Is the gospel going out IN YOU

In ALL of life

Has the GOSPEL affected EVERY area of your life?

Are you holding certain areas away from God??

WALK (live life APPROPRIATELY) according to the GOSPEL

Fully Pleasing to Him

Desire to please

We are not looking for DUTY

We are looking for what HE LIKES and what it is that brings Him PLEASURE

Knowing what it is that He ENJOYS

We need to find our PLEASURE and ENJOYMENT in the things of GOD

What are the "things of God"??

It isn't ONLY SUNDAYS

NOT CHURCH ONLY

The "THINGS OF GOD" are in EVERY AREA of your life

God has made ALL THINGS

Do you enjoy Creation?

Birds, Bees, Flowers, Rain, Sunshine

Don't take these things for granted

STOP and consider the WORK of His Hands

In your SALVATION, but ALSO, ALL the areas of LIFE

Slow down and consider God

Be still and KNOW that HE is GOD

Talk with Him about it.

He is your Good Father

Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work

How do we bear fruit?

Bearing vs Straining

Abide in the VINE

Without the VINE, we are NOTHING.  We HAVE NOTHING.

No NUTRIENTS

No WATER

If we don't have these things, we CANNOT bear FRUIT

What is the fruit??

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience (Long suffering), Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control

(Galatians 5:22)

Increasing in the Knowledge of God

Increasing = Growing in; becoming greater in

Application

We need to take an INVENTORY of our lives.

Are we walking/living in a manner that is worthy of the GOSPEL/JESUS/THE KINGDOM?

Do we have a desire to PLEASE Him, not merely as OBEDIENCE, but OBEDIENCE from a desire to LOVE HIM intimately?

Are you BEARING FRUIT or are you STRAINING to SHOW fruit??

If we ABIDE in the VINE, we will BEAR fruit.

Are we growing in our DESIRE to spend our time with God?

In EVERYTHING that we find ourselves doing

3

Being Strengthened With All Power

Bible Passage

Colossians 1:11 (ESV - English Standard Version)

11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

Explanation

"being strengthened with all power"

Strengthened = STRONG

power = dunamis

spiritual power that is explosive

The ENTIRE KINGDOM is backing US up, in Christ

According to His Glorious Might

Glory = majestic magnificence

MIGHT = kratos

force, strength, dominion, works of power

For All Endurance and Patience

Long suffering that endures

Suffering through the trials of life with Christ

He said that the servant is NOT greater than his master

if they hated Him, they will hate us

if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us

Jesus NEVER promised us an EASY life

He told us that if we would come after Him, pick up your cross daily and follow Him.

We are to keep our flesh CRUCIFIED

Do NOT take it down from the cross

With Joy

Joy = cheerful gladness, calm delight

Application

We need to find our strength in JESUS.

Anytime we think we've got this or that we are AWESOME, we end up in the gutter

IF you look for strength, in and of yourself, you will come up SHORT everytime

We OUGHT NOT to think more highly of ourselves than we OUGHT to think.

If we understand the Gospel correctly, we should UNDERSTAND that we have NOTHING to brag about EXCEPT CHRIST!!

Be strengthened with HIS glorious might, not your GLORIOUS might

His might will give us the long-suffering and endurance that we need

IF we ABIDE in His presence, in ALL OF LIFE, we will bear JOY and all spiritual fruit.

Find a place of WORSHIP as you go through your day

Be in AWE of Him...WHO He is and what He has done

Talk with Him, not AT Him

Conclusion

IF we ABIDE in Him, we will KNOW Him in an intimate way, not just ABOUT Him, in ALL OF LIFE

If we KNOW HIM because we spend time with HIM, OUR WALK will be WORTHY in holiness

IF we KNOW Him in an intimate way, in ALL OF LIFE, OUR WALK will be WORTHY in holiness

if we have these things, WE WILL HAVE ALL THE STRENGTH WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH IT and to ENJOY it.

Paul is praying for believers to grow in intimacy with God, realizing more of how CLOSE HE has brought us to HIMSELF

We are His Family

If we stay NEAR to Him, in His presence, we will grow in the Nature of Who He is.

He is ALL WE NEED.