New Beginning: Growing in Spiritual Wisdom

Bible Passage: Col 1:9–14

Summary: In Colossians 1:9-14, Paul prays for the believers in Colossae to grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding, so they may live lives worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.

Application: This message encourages believers to seek a deeper relationship with God, reminding them that growth in Christ equips them to navigate life's challenges with wisdom and strength. As they cultivate this growth, their lives become testimonies of grace and transformation, impacting those around them.

Teaching: The teaching centers on the importance of seeking spiritual insight and understanding, emphasizing that a vibrant relationship with God results in transformed lives marked by good works and faithfulness.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage points to Christ as the source of wisdom and knowledge. In Him, believers find the strength to grow and the guidance needed to reflect God's character. The prayer in this passage underscores the need for reliance on Christ for spiritual transformation.

Big Idea: Growth in spiritual wisdom through Christ leads to a transformed life that glorifies God and impacts the world.

In what ways does Paul suggest that Christ’s strength empowers believers to endure life's challenges?

How can believers actively seek knowledge and wisdom in their daily lives?

What are the key elements of spiritual wisdom that Paul emphasizes in his prayer?

How does understanding God's will contribute to spiritual growth according to the sermon?

What is Paul praying for the believers in Colossae in Colossians 1:9-14?

Recommended Study: Consider exploring the historical context of the Colossian church to understand the challenges they faced. Use Logos to examine the original Greek words for 'wisdom' and 'understanding' to grasp their deeper meanings and implications. Look into how Paul’s prayer reflects ancient Jewish prayer traditions and how it applies to the modern believer.

Introduction

Everyone wants to start the year with a “new year, new me” attitude.

Diets, resolutions focused around money, resolutions focused around time, and even Bible reading plans are thrown around.

The whole idea is that the new year offers a new start of sorts.

What if we took time a really focused on the Spiritual growth in our lives?

What if our understanding of Spiritual wisdom grew?

What if our understanding of what it looks like to grow in the grace of God and live out the Gospel, bearing the proper fruit?

What if, instead of looking at the new year as a new you, you saw yourself as growing in the place that you are now?

What if instead of replacing, everything, we asked God to give us the opportunity to live out His will in love?

What if instead of trying to impress the world by worldly goal setting, our hearts are aligned with what God wants and expects out of our lives?

That is what Paul prays for when he is writing to the church in Colossi.

Before we get into that, we have to know a little bit about the church in Colossi to help us understand the situation.

Facts about Colossi:

Paul never knew the church in Colossi.

A man named Epaphras was went to see Paul in prison but Epaphras was the one who taught and preached the Gospel in Colossi.

Paul was writing to clear up theological issues but also to encourage the church.

This was written at the same time that Ephesians and Philippians written, they are commonly called the prison epistles.

Paul wanted to make sure that these believers knew that he was praying for something that can totally take place in the minds and hearts of believers.

1. Praying for Perceptive Growth

Colossians 1:9–10

Colossians 1:9–10 ESV

9 And 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, 10 so 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;

What does it mean to “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding?”

There are two components to this statement that Paul makes.

1.) to be filled with all knowledge of His will.

2.) all of this in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

First, we have to understand what it means to know the knowledge of God’s will.

You could begin by explaining how Paul’s prayer encourages believers to seek continuous spiritual growth through knowledge and wisdom. This growth is not merely accumulation of facts, but a deeper understanding of God's will that transforms daily living. Stress that this spiritual insight is a gift available through Christ, who illuminates our hearts and minds. This point suggests that believers should regularly pray for wisdom, both for themselves and the church, to make decisions that honor God and reflect His character.

2. Pursuing Powerful Endurance

Colossians 1:11–12 ESV

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Maybe highlight how strength and endurance come from relying on Christ's power, as indicated in Paul's prayer for the Colossians. This includes a joyful endurance that bears the fruit of patience and impacts believers' day-to-day interactions. Emphasize that this empowerment is linked directly to the hope we find in Jesus, equipping believers to face trials with a heart of gratitude. This point invites Christians to recognize the sufficiency of Christ’s strength in enabling them to live out their faith practically.

3. Proclaiming Our Deliverance

Colossians 1:13–14 ESV

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Perhaps conclude by focusing on the deliverance and redemption believers have in Christ, as mentioned in Paul’s closing words of this prayer. Highlight that this deliverance is not only spiritual but also practical, affecting our present lives and relationships. Believers are encouraged to remember their identity in Christ as those rescued from darkness, now living in light. This point could stress the importance of living in the freedom and forgiveness Christ has secured, thereby witnessing His transforming power.