Colossians 1:3-8 | Shaped by Grace

Hello

Read Text

Intro : Grace that changes everything.

in the first century - Saul

Was a leader among the pharisees who studied under rabi Gameliel. Saul was a man with zeal for Yahweh, the torah, and his leaders prevailing wisdom to keep traditions that fenced holiness. A man specifically tasked with stamping out - through imprisonment or stoning - the new communities that professed to call themselves ‘the way’, claiming that the no longer present Jesus of Nazareth, was God and had risen from the dead.

Until the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ flattened him with grace for the cheif of sinners, and reshaped him, to be an apostle of the gospel to the gentiles. Known to the greeks as Paul the Apostle.

In the 16th century Thomas Bilney

Was a cambridge educated preist in the Catholic church and scholar. Yet he lived in deep spiritual torment, becoming obsessed with earning slavation through good works and paying penance. Until, he read the words of Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am chief.”

Having read which, he describes being suddenly overwhelmed by God’s grace and justified by faith alone. Later saying it was the moment he was “raised from death to life.”

A life that he would go on to give entirely and unashamedly to preaching the gospel of justification by grace alone until he was burned at the stake for doing so.

In the 1990’s another professer - named Rosaria Butterfeild

Was a tenured scholar of english and women’s studies, and, a radical feminist living as a lesbian. In 1999, whilst in the process of writing papers and a book criticising the religious right, a pastor reached out to her for a conversation, over a period of time, he gently shared the gospel of Grace with her.

Today, having received the grace of God in Christ, and repented of her former life, leaving the LGBTQ lifestyle, eventually marrying a paster, and homeschooling her 4 children - Rosaria now writes and speaks about God’s grace for those living in sexual sin and identity.

Since it’s first proclaimation - the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been merely a headline but it has conveyed the grace of God that transforms sinners and shapes them for the glory of God.

These are 3 examples among a multitude of how the grace of God when received by faith, transforms and shapes everything.

And it is for this grace, that Paul begins his letter giving thanks for:

{understanding the text}

Colossians 1:3

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Our text this morning is the beginning of a thanksgiving made to God (3), for the saints in Colossae.

In this prayer of thanksgiving, Paul begins by highlighting the evidence of God’s grace at work in the lives of the believers (namely, thier faith in Jesus and the love they have for one-another (4), and then works his way down to the cause of God’s grace.

To make it plainer, he looks at the lives of the saints who are in Colossae as a fruit tree, and he first gives thanks to God for the fruit of thier faith, and works his way to the branch, down the trunk, and ultimately to the root of Grace found in the gospel.

For the sake of clarity, we are going to seek to understand Pauls reason for thanksgiving by addressing it’s parts backwards, starting with the root and ending with the fruit!

So = What is the root of thanksgiving to God?

The gospel of grace and truth!

The grace of God that changes everything has come to the Christians in Colossae, as it has come to us and every other human being who has ever who will ever trust in Jesus - through a certain message. And that is, the gospel.

The gospel, the good news, is described here in verses 5-8as:

the word of truth

the grace of God in truth

Colossians 1:5–8 (ESV)

5 Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.

What is the gospel?

The gospel is the good news that God has accomplished his plan of redemption to reconcile sinners to himself through the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.

Paul’s uses the phrase ‘word of truth’ to declair the reliability of the message about Gods grace!

It is the true word message! The opposite to the ‘false gospel’ (which will become important as we continue) Colossians then is saying - this is the news to trust. This is the proclamation to hang your whole life upon! This is the news to base all of you confidence on today, and in which to rest all your hope for the future.

It is the news, that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, and even though you are a sinner… he died in you place paying the penalty for your sins… so you might be forgiven and adopted as a Son and blessed with eternal life!

AND HOW? HOW might we get this?

Well look how the text descibes

Colossians 1:5–8 (ESV)

5 Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.

This are all means of receiving.

They learned it, they didnt earn it. The saints, received the gospel of grace, they didnt live up to a certain standard or obey to a certain degree.

They received it by faith:

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Q: So, How can we be saved?

A: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and his substitutionary atoning death on the cross.

This is the root of the tree of faith!

The gospel of Grace is the root for all the Christian life! in fact, without God’s grace, and the response of faith, there is no Christian life!

the gospel of justification by grace alone.

Let us not overlook the blessing of the messenger. Epaphras

Paul, a the point of writing this letter, has not been to colossae. 2:1 makes this clear. He hasn’t visited the church and he didnt plant it.

instead, they heard it from Epaphras! A local believer. 4:12 (One of you).

Who himself, heard the gospel of jesus Christ, our best guess is that he heard in Ephesus, where paul ministered for 3 years and was in a real sense the hub of the region. (Acts 19:10)

He receives the gospel and then he goes home and proclaims the gospel -

and then after approximately 10 years paul writes a letter to the church in that city!

Why? beucase the grace of God saved, and shaped, and sent a local beleiver, to live for Jesus in all of life.

Freind = Is God’s grace so sweet to you?

Do you know yourself to be a sinner, deserving.

do you know the sweetness of God’s grace… not only “hey forget about it” - but that you have been shown love

Is God’s grace so sweet that you cannot help but want to share it?

Now, this grace, produces…

Hope!

The gospel of Grace is a gospel that produces hope

Hope specifically v. 5, that is laid (stored/kept) up in heaven.

This is not wishful thinking.

Chris Kringle - 1 thing on my list.

I hope I get the present I ask for, but my hope rests in the realiability of one of my family members… and thats shaky ground.

The Christians hope, rests in God and his promises fulfilled in the resurrection and ascencion of Jesus

Ephesians 1:18-22

18 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, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Our hope is assured becauase it is in Jesus

Jesus who rose again from the grave.

Jesus who is seated in the heavenly places.

Our hope is stored up in heaven because through faith we are sealed in him, and he is seated at the right hand of the father.

And remember, thats the only place or object of our hope that means it is assured!

If you hope is in others not letting you down

in the church never dissapointing you

in a pastor always getting in right

in youself walking in perfect holiness

that freind is shaky ground.

It is a hope that:

Groans (Rom 5,8)

Grieves (1 Th 4:13)

This hope in the crucified and ressurected king produces

The fruit of Grace.

Colossians 1:4 (ESV)

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

The roots of the christian life is the grace of God to us through his saving work.

it is this grace that shapes everything.

In verse 4, Paul refers to the evidence of this grace in the lives of the believers - becuase true faith in the grace of God always produces fruit.

Paul points out two things:

faith in Jesus - the evidence of faith. Lives of repentance and confession, holiness and obedience to the words of Jesus. Lives that walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (1:10) Further evident in

Love for the saints. Jesus himself said that it is by the love that we have for one-another that all will know that we belong to him. John 13:35

The Christian life, doesnt seek to earn God’s love and favour by living in holiness, or by being kind and loving.

No no, we receive God’s love and favour by his grace alone, and having recieved it freely by faith with new hearts we long to live according to his will, setting ourselves aside to love others and glorify Jesus.

this means, that if you are in Christ, you should strive to set aside your sin and live holy, fully pleasing to God.

and that striving, is all by faith in God’s grace to you.

prayer : that the Spirit would sanctify you (v. 8).

Grace to You, Glory to God

Let us end, where Paul begins!

Colossians 1:3

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

This is the dominant theme for Pauls prayer - thanksgiving to the God of glory and grace!

all that comes after, all we have been through is reason to give thanks to God!

the gospel of Grace through Jesus

the messengers and the response of faith

the hope of the resurrection and the inheritence stored up in heaven

the fruit of grace in the lives of believers…

All are a means of thanking and glorifying God!! Because he gets the credit!

APPLICATION - Freinds, are our eyes open to see the hand of God at work in our lives, and in the lives of the saints, that leads us to thanksgiving?

Are you attentive to the gift of grace at work in sanctifying you?

If you visit a secular counsellor or psycologist today, one of the most common practices they prescribe is gratefulness.

The regular practice of thankfulness, has an evidence based backing and:

rewires the brain toward positivity

boosts well-being and life satisfaction

reduces and anxiety and depression….

and the list of benefits goes on.

The most famous study giving evidence for this was completed in 2003. It only took that long for science to figure out that doing what the Bible says is a good idea.

Now, the secular worldview, claims that gratefulness doesnt require giving thanks.

Which is a necessary conclusion for those who have no-one to give thanks to, for those who have no God.

Martin Seligman’s (who is widely regarded as the founder of positive psychology) has a protocol with his clients that says—no “thanks” required.

Instead just acknowledge what if good to you.

im glad this happened,

here are three things went well today

Today I enjoyed…

Seligman is right, this form of gratefulness can benefit ones mental health…

But it also acts to support peoples sinful hearts in placing themselves at the centre of thier universe, innoculating them from God and blinding them to the eternal state of thier soul.

True gratefulness, GIVES THANKS - because it acknowledges that every good and perfect gift comes from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

True gratefulness, is also not merely individual, true gratefulness sees the glory of God in all the world throughout all time.

Genesis 1:26–28 (ESV)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the second Adam is Fulfilling his mission to bring about his glory in all the earth by pouring out grace to us!

The gospel - bearing fruit and increasing (v. 6, 10).