A Worthy Walk
Notes
Transcript
Good morning church! If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, please grab them and head towards Colossians 1. Your bulletins say we are going to be in Colossians 1:15-20, but I forgot to communicate with Jennifer this week that we’ll be in verses 9-14 to wrap up one last part out of there. Next week we’ll jump into the hymn of Colossians which is really pretty incredible and might possibly be one of the highest Christological statements in the NT. But today, let’s look at the last part of Paul’s prayer for this church at Colossae.
Let’s pick up at the very beginning in verse 1, read all the way through verse 14, pray and then seek to understand what God would have for us. Colossians 1:1-14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 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, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
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, 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; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
This is God’s Word. Thanks be to God.
Who in here has ever been in a situation in which either a) you taught someone something, they understood it, they got the knowledge you communicated to them, and then they totally went on to ignore everything you had told them or b) you were that person? Anybody ever been there? I would guess at some point in time that has been every one of us.
Teachers, or parents for that matter, here we are having wrapped up school, not that I’m trying to bring back bad memories, but you taught those kids that information and when the test came around they totally blew it.
I love coaching kids sports, seeing them understand parts of the game and grow developmentally in practice, but then all the sudden you get to game time and you’re like, what about all the things we worked on this week!? What happened to it?
But we as adults aren’t beyond it, are we? How many times has life taught you lessons the hard way, yet we just fall back into our routine of doing things the same old way just because?
This is how we landed last weeks sermon. Last Sunday we focused entirely on Col. 1:9 and Paul taught us why we pray, how we pray, and what we should pray. Here’s the why: the gospel has come and is bearing fruit, but it’s not done doing a work. So we pray because we want God to continue what He’s begun. Here’s the how: immediately, unceasingly, and together. Paul prayed from the day he heard. He didn’t cease. And he prayed with Timothy. Then the what we pray: to be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. You can go back and listen to last weeks if you want a deep dive on it, but in short, the knowledge of his will means to know his word.
So here we are; here you are. A church full of people whom God has shown to you His will through his word, whether you’ve been raised in church or just been coming for a little while and what we ended last week looking at was how we are at risk of learning these Scriptures, yet never allowing what fills our heads to penetrate our hearts. And that’s what Paul prays for here. He prays that God would fill us with knowledge of his will for a purpose. He doesn’t desire that the church at Colossae would just know things for knowledge sake. He desires that the church would know God’s will for a purpose. He desires that the church would know God’s will so that it might produce something in and through them. Ok, so if that’s true then the first question we’re seeking to answer today—I’ve got two big questions we’re going to chase today, the first big one we’re going to tackle is this:
What does being filled with the knowledge of His will produce?
What does being filled with the knowledge of His will produce?
What does Paul ask God for as the end result of this filling? Col. 1:10
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;
The filling of the knowledge of His will should produce in us a walk that is worthy of the Lord. Let’s unpack that for a minute. Paul repeatedly talks about one’s walk throughout his letters to the different churches and in each case he’s talking about the manner of one’s life. How they live, behave, think, etc. That’s one’s walk. But what does it mean to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord?
Bruce in his commentary pointed out that historically speaking, there were inscriptions that appeared throughout the province of Asia that would remind the followers of pagan gods that they should live in a manner worthy of the deities they worshiped. Their lives and the blessings of those gods depended on their walking in a way that honored them.
Kinda like when coaches would say, what name is across the chest of your jersey? That’s who you represent, so act accordingly. Or parents would say, who’s last name do you have? Act accordingly.
If pagans thought that, and coaches think that or our parents expect us to behave in a certain way, then how much more should Christians live lives that faithfully represent the true God and his Son Jesus. But that still leaves the question, what does that mean or even look like? Because to live a worthy life means to live a life that reflects the worth of the Lord.
I was listening to a podcast yesterday and one guy was interviewing Dave Ramsey. The guy interviewing made the statement, “your worth is shown in the worst of times.” From a business perspective we tend to think that, don’t we? And I think there’s a way that applies here. You can see worth in a God who spoke creation into existence. You can see worth when you examine the magnificent precision with which everything functions. But you can really see the worth of this creator when his crown jewel of his creation rejects him. His worth is seen in that not only did he not obliterate them, but instead he made a way for his justice to be carried out and His people to be redeemed.
So how do you live a life that not only declares the worth of the one that spoke creation into being, but also that declares with the angels who surround his throne right now worthy is the lamb who was slain? This seems like something of an insurmountable task, does it not?
I love what Doug Moo says about this: while this is a high calling, “God gives what he demands.”
You see, the thing we have to fight against here is that Paul isn’t meaning that we walk in a manner that makes us worthy for the Lord. That’s impossible. His worth is too glorious. We could never attain it.
This is why Paul is praying that God will fill the Colossians with the knowledge of His will, because as God fills us up what happens? What fills us up flows right back out of us. As we become more aware of and filled with His worth and the knowledge of Him we begin to be shaped from the inside out. Now what flows out of us is the gospel bearing fruit of a worthy walk. this isn’t something we produce. It isn’t something we add to our faith, it’s something God does in and through us. And what does the next phrase tell us about how God views us walking in a manner worthy of him? It is fully pleasing to him.
Isn’t that what we’re all after? In some form or fashion we’re after I’m pleased with you. We were hard wired to hear, “well done good and faithful servant.” But all we’ve shown is that we can’t do it. So look to the one to whom He said, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” Look to Him. Believe in Him. And receive from him the approval your heart desires. This is why Paul would later say in Col. 2:6
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
When you receive Jesus and are filled with Jesus what will flow out of you is the fruit of Jesus. When God sees that, he is fully pleased. What does being filled with the knowledge of God produce? It produces a manner of life that is pleasing to God. One that declares His worth. One that shows his greatness.
So let me ask you this: is your manner of life pleasing to the Lord? Are you being filled with him and the knowledge of his will, or are you filling yourself with junk? What your filling yourself with reveals who your aiming to please, so what does your life declare about whose pleasure you seek?
Now you may hear all that and go, how do I know? How do I know if I’m actually walking in a manner worthy of the Lord that is pleasing to him? Well, that’s the second question we’re going to seek to answer this morning.
How do we know if we’re walking in a worthy manner?
How do we know if we’re walking in a worthy manner?
If this is the question you’re asking I’m glad you are, because Paul was anticipating us to ask this question. In v10-12 he gives us 4 participles that are indicative or a walk worthy of the Lord. Let’s look at them. Col 1:10-12
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; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
4 Participles. What are they? Bearing fruit. And increasing in knowledge. These two seemed to be tied together. Being strengthened. Giving thanks. Those four are the participles Paul gives as indicative of a worthy walk. Let’s work through them one at a time. What does it mean to bear fruit in every good work? Maybe before we can answer that we need to know what good works it is Paul is talking about.
The short of it is there are endless answers. I looked up the phrase good works in the NT this week to see everywhere it occurs, and good works are exactly what you think they are. Meeting practical, spiritual, or relational needs all constitute good works.
Don’t flip there, but Acts 9:36 tells of a lady named Dorcas who did good works and acts of charity. 1 Tim. 5:9-10 refers to widows who’ve done good works, and Eph. 2:10 reminds us that we were created to do good works. Now just as a reminder, these good works don’t save us, but rather are fruit of our salvation.
So if there’s endless answers of good works, then what does it mean to bear fruit in every good work? Or is the work itself the fruit? I think Jesus brings us clarity in Matt. 5:16. What does Jesus tells his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount?
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus calls us to do our good works in such a way that the fruit of them is that others turn and glorify God in heaven.
I read a story this week about the Archbishop of Milan. In 1576, the city of Milan was struck by a devastating plague. Most of the wealthy and powerful—including government officials and even many clergy—fled the city to protect themselves. Panic and fear spread faster than the disease itself.
Instead of escaping, he opened his home to the sick. He used church resources to feed the hungry, care for the dying, and organize teams of clergy and volunteers to serve across the city. He walked barefoot through the plague-stricken streets in sackcloth and ashes, praying with people, comforting the afflicted, and ministering to the dying. He even sold his own furniture and church treasures to fund relief efforts.
People began to take notice. His actions were not for attention, but they drew attention—not to himself, but to Christ. In a time of despair, his self-sacrificial love reminded the city that God had not abandoned them. People who had turned away from God were drawn back to Him. Revival broke out in Milan, even in the midst of death and suffering.
I read this story and thought, man, that’s amazing! What an incredible testimony! But then I thought, how do we become people who do things like this? On one hand, church, I want you to know that I do see the good works that so many of you do with joy. I’m proud of you for that. But what ultimately shapes you and me and this archbishop to become the type of people who do works in such a way that others glorify God?
Scriptures show us in 2 places what shape us into this type of people. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
This goes back to what we talked about last week. Being filled with the revealed will of God, the Scriptures, equip us to do good works in such a way that others glorify God. But the the second thing that shapes us is the church. Heb. 10:24
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Being part of the regular fellowship of a church is essential for this because what happens when we spend time together? We grow in love for one another! How do we become people that do works this way? The Scriptures equip us for it and the church encourages us towards it.
Which is why I think Paul ties bearing fruit in every good work with increasing in the knowledge of God. The two things are inseparable. As we come to know God we desire to do works that cause others to glorify God, but the other awesome part of that is that as we bear fruit in good works we get to see even more character attributes of God. We increase in our knowledge of God.
This morning in Sunday School I used a book entitled Intro to Messy Care & Discipleship to help guide our conversation. The point of the book is that as we seek to walk in more than just a friendly relationship with one another, but one that seriously considers how to stir up one another towards good works and one that seeks to encourage one another in our walk with the Lord we find that we have problems. We find that when you really look under the hood of my life or of your life, things are messy. Yet, in the midst of that messiness and in walking with people through that what God does is He shows us just how gracious He truly is. So one of the ways we increase in knowledge is by bearing fruit in every good work.
But throughout the book of Colossians Paul picks up on this theme. He sees increasing in knowledge as extremely important to the Christian’s worthy walk. We saw in verse 9 that this is something God fills us with, but when we look ahead to Colossians 2:2 we see both the purpose of this knowledge and what it is we’re to know.
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
Paul’s desire is that they would understand God’s mystery. That they would know it—which is Christ. He recognizes the mystery that Christ alone saves us through faith alone. It’s something that while it is not complicated is richly complex. But as we come to know that mystery what we’re given is assurance. Assurance of our salvation. Assurance of wisdom and knowledge. Assurance of life and hope and faith and love. As we grow in assurance of this mystery, what does God do? Col. 3:10
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
He renews us and shapes the new self. We don’t walk according to our old ways, but according to His ways. Now there’s more we could say here and seek to understand and apply, but here’s the point: are you increasing in the knowledge of God? Yes, being here and listening to sermons are a great thing to do. Come on. But are you bearing fruit in every good deed so that you know him more? Are you walking with Him daily through His Word seeking to be filled with the knowledge of His will?
The next participle is being strengthened with all power. Notice the “fullness” language Paul uses in this passage: “all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” “fully pleasing to him” “every good work” “all power” for “all endurance.” There’s nothing lacking in this power that we’re strengthened with because it is power according to his glorious might. What is the power according to His glorious might that God strengthens His people with? Paul tells the church in Eph. 1:18-20
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
The glorious might that God displayed, the strengthening of His people is done with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. This means that, “The strength that God supplies his people is in accordance with and is the expression of his own intrinsic glory.” Now that’s a lot of words that sound incredible, but what does it mean?
Paul recognizes that as we seek to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, we won’t survive on our own strength. If you try to walk faithfully on your own you will fail. Yes, you need God’s people to help you. Biblical community matters and we’re called to it. But more than that, you need God’s strength. Because the true Christian journey is one in which what you discover is your weaknesses. But God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. So Paul prays for strengthening, not just to gut it out, but according to His glorious might. Strength that is beyond comprehension and ability. And I love that he asks for it in two specific circumstances: endurance and patience.
Those two things sound a lot alike but they’re for two different applications. N. T. Wright put it this way: “[Endurance] is what faith, hope and love bring to an apparently impossible situation, [patience] what they show to an apparently impossible person.” Who in here doesn’t need both of those things on a weekly, if not daily basis? I mean think about my poor wife for just a second. She’s stuck with me till death do us part! Talk about dealing with an impossible person in an impossible situation. Or maybe it’s your kids, or grandkids, or it’s that friend that you’ve been trying to patiently love and walk with. All of in the room find ourselves in these moments
And what do we tend to do when we find ourselves in these moment or with these people? Is your knee jerk to avoid or deflect? Do you look for a way out so that you don’t have to endure? Maybe I’ll just back out of this situation and let someone else deal with it. Maybe I’ll withdraw so that I can still maintain the appearance of friendship, but really this is just too messy and maybe even hopeless of a situation. No, Paul prays for us to be strengthened with all power the fullness of it, according to his glorious might by which he raised Jesus from the dead, so that we might have all endurance and all patience, not just to make through, but with joy. That we might face impossible people in impossible situations with joy! Isn’t this what Jesus did? Heb. 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured with patience the cross because of the joy set before him. What was that joy? It was redemption of me and you. It was of a way for him to fix all the broken things and make them new. Paul prays that we might be strengthened with that power. When you look at the situations in your life that are impossible, or the people that are impossible, what’s your hearts disposition? Is it to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, with all joyful patience and endurance? or is it to write them off? Is it to back away?
The last participle is giving thanks. Paul ends this prayer in the same way that he began it back in v3—with thanksgiving. What does thanksgiving imply? It implies that what has been received has not been earned but is a gift. The gift God has given is qualification for an inheritance—now we talked about that and v13-14 a few weeks back so I won’t focus on those as much this morning. But this inheritance isn’t something we make ourselves worthy of, rather, like our walk, it’s something God does. He qualifies us for an inheritance and he makes us worthy in our walk.
While that is true, I appreciate what Henri Nouwen pointed out about this. Because we can look at v12 and be thankful for the awesomeness of that qualification—absolutely something to be grateful for, but what was the preceding participle we looked at? Strengthened with all power for endurance and patience. Thanksgiving then isn’t just for the glory, it’s for the struggle. It’s for the impossible people and situations. It’s for the growing in knowledge. It’s for the bearing fruit in every good work. “Gratitude encompasses all of life: the good and the bad, the joyful and the painful, the holy and not so holy.”
I was meeting with someone this week and they’ve walked through a really tough season. One that in all sincerity seems like an impossible situation with impossible people. One that has been revealing to this person of their shortcoming and failures. I think they would say that they have increased in the knowledge of God and themselves throughout this process and as we were wrapping up this person said, “I’ve not enjoyed this season, but I’m thankful for it.”
Growing is painful. Bearing fruit in every good work requires sacrifice. Increasing in the knowledge of God takes time. Being strengthened will all power implies that we’re weak and hard things are ahead, yet when we’re filled with the knowledge of God he shapes us and empowers us not just so that we make it through to the other side, but so that we’re people who walk in a worthy manner. IN all of this God shows us just a little more of who he is. He fills us up with a little more of Him. And for that, the only response is thankfulness. It’s gratitude. It’s worship.
I’ll go back to a quote I used earlier…to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord is a high calling, but God gives what He demands. So I want to conclude by asking you a couple questions. Are you seeking to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord by your own power? Do you think that you in your own strength and abilities and good works measure up to the worth of the Lord who displayed his glorious might not just in creation, but also in redemption? Or, are you resting in the mystery of Christ? Are you looking to Him to fill you with knowledge of who he is?
How do you know? Well, are you marked by these four participles? When you look at your life are you bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power to endure impossible situations and have patience with impossible people with joy, and are you full of thanksgiving? Those four markers reveal to us where we are walking by faith, or walking by sight. As Tony Merida says, these are four markers of Christian maturity. They are things we should be progressing in. Do they describe you? If not, then the good news is that you don’t work for it. You look to him and are filled with them. Seeing him fills you up so that they flow out of you. IF you can say, yeah, I do see where I’ve grown in these things, albeit not great, but I have grown, then what’s your response? Thanksgiving. Thank you Jesus for the blood that covers me and for the power that changes me.
So I want to go ahead and invite the music team on up. AS they get in place and begin to play I want to give you just a moment to spend with the Lord to evaluate your own heart and life. As you look back on the past 7 days where have you rested in knowing him and His will and where have you functioned according to your own strength and abilities? What do you need to repent of and what do you need to thank God for? Why don’t you go to the Lord now and ask Him to show you these things and then ask him to help you walk in a manner worthy of the Lord as you leave this place? Meet with him and then I’ll close us in prayer here in just a second.
