The Gospel’s Power and Bearing Fruit

Colossians 1:1–14

Opening Prayer

“Heavenly Father, we come before You today with grateful hearts for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, thank You that You have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of Your dear Son. Father, we confess that apart from Christ we are nothing, but in Him we are complete. Today, open our eyes to the power of the gospel—not just to save us, but to change us, to bear fruit in us, and to sustain us. Holy Spirit, fill us with wisdom and understanding as we open Your Word. We pray that Christ will be exalted and that hearts will be drawn to Him. In the strong name of Jesus we pray, Amen.”

Introduction

Take God’s Word and turn with me to Colossians chapter 1. This morning we are beginning a brand-new series through the book of Colossians. For the next several weeks, we’re going to walk verse by verse through this powerful letter and see how it exalts the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul to a small church in a city they’d probably never heard of—but the message is as fresh and powerful for us today as it was for them. If I could sum up Colossians in one phrase it would be this: Christ is above all. He is supreme in creation, supreme in redemption, supreme in the church, and supreme in our lives.

Now I want to talk to you today about the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Friend, the gospel is not just some pious platitude or religious slogan. The gospel is not advice—it is good news with power. It is the dynamite of God that changes lives, homes, communities, and destinies (Romans 1:16).

Paul wrote to these believers in Colossae and said, “I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard about your faith, your love, your hope, and I know where it came from—it came from the gospel.”

Colossians 1:1–14 NKJV

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Now let me give you three truths about the gospel from this passage.

1. The Gospel Produces a Changed Life (vv. 3–8)

Paul says, “We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.”

Do you see that? Faith. Love. Hope. That’s the holy triad of Christian living.

Faith reaches upward to God.

Love reaches outward to others.

Hope reaches forward to heaven.

That’s the same order you find in 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Wherever the gospel is truly received, these fruits are present.

The gospel changes you from the inside out. It doesn’t make you a religious hypocrite—it makes you a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Illustration: The gospel is like a seed. When you plant it in good soil, it begins to grow and bear fruit. You don’t have to tell an apple tree to produce apples—it just does. Friend, if you’re truly saved, you won’t have to be begged to live for God. The gospel in you will bear fruit.

2. The Gospel Possesses a Conquering Power (vv. 6–8)

Paul says the gospel is “bringing forth fruit… in all the world.” You can’t stop it! The gospel is like light—shine it into the darkness and the darkness has to flee (John 1:5).

Rome couldn’t crush it. Communism couldn’t contain it. Atheism can’t erase it. False religion can’t counterfeit it. The gospel marches on.

Look, this little letter was written from a prison cell. Paul was chained, but the gospel was not chained (2 Timothy 2:9). That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Beloved, you don’t need some new philosophy, some fresh fad, or a newfangled religion. The gospel is enough. Jesus is enough.

Illustration: When Billy Sunday was asked if revival would last, he said, “No, and neither will a bath—but it does you good while you’ve got it.” Friend, the gospel never runs out of power. It keeps working, keeps saving, keeps transforming.

3. The Gospel Provides a Complete Salvation (vv. 9–14)

Paul prays they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, strengthened with all might, and giving thanks because the Father has qualified us for our inheritance.

Now notice this progression:

The gospel delivers us from the power of darkness (v. 13a).

The gospel transfers us into the kingdom of His dear Son (v. 13b).

The gospel redeems us through His blood (v. 14a).

The gospel forgives us of all our sins (v. 14b).

That’s not a “maybe salvation”—that’s a complete salvation. You don’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. God Himself has qualified you in Christ.

Colossians 2:10 says, “And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.” Ephesians 1:7 echoes this: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

Illustration: If you’ve ever traveled overseas, you know you can’t get into another country without a passport and visa. You can’t qualify yourself—you need the right documentation. Well, when you stand before the gates of heaven, you won’t get in because you’re a Baptist, a Methodist, or a good moral person. The only “passport” to heaven is the blood of Jesus Christ. God has stamped “Paid in Full” on your soul.

Conclusion

Let me wrap this up. The gospel is not advice to be considered; it is a message to be believed. It is not speculation; it is revelation. It is not good views; it is good news.

The gospel produces a changed life.

The gospel possesses a conquering power.

The gospel provides a complete salvation.

Friend, have you received that gospel? Has it changed your life? Are you bearing fruit? Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’ve been transferred out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)?

If not, you can settle it today. Come to Jesus. Trust Him as Lord and Savior. And if you are saved, then live like it. Bear fruit. Walk worthy. Give thanks.

Closing Prayer

“Lord Jesus, thank You for the good news of the gospel that produces a changed life, that possesses a conquering power, and that provides a complete salvation. Father, may we not only hear these truths but live them out—bearing fruit in every good work, walking worthy of our calling, and giving thanks for the inheritance that is ours in Christ. And Lord, if there is one here today who has never been delivered from darkness into light, may today be the day they step out of sin and into salvation by trusting You as Lord and Savior. Keep us faithful, keep us fruitful, and keep us looking for that blessed hope when we shall see Jesus face to face. It’s in His mighty name we pray, Amen.”