Colossians 1:9-14 | Praying with Paul (Part 2)

Big Idea: Understanding God’s will to live with the purpose of pleasing him in every way.

Paul opened by letting the Christians in Colossae know that thier faith, love and hope that has come through the gospel of Jesus causes him to thank God the father when he prays for them.

Now, In this next section, he communicates, what he is praying!

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Intro

This morning we are dealing with this prayer 9-14 for the second time. Last week we asked what this prayer teaches us about how ought to pray as the people of God.

This morning we are asking, what do the contents of this prayer mean for the Christian life. What does it mean to be a recipient of this prayer.

To Summarise, Paul prays that believers would be charactised by knowing God’s will, for the purpose of living in a manner that is entirely pleasing to him. He then describes four ways in which the Christian life pleases Jesus.

FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL

Colossians 1:9 (ESV)

9 … asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

In this prayer, Paul actually only asks for 1 thing: he asks that the saints would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.

To be “Filled” here means to be characterised by.

For example in Romans 1:29 “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,”

They were characterised by unrighteousness.

Therefore Paul prays that beleivers would be characterised by knowing God’s will.

“Gods will”

But when Paul prays, that Christians would know the will of God.

He is not referring to God’s hidden will, his hidden plan for the future, he is reffering to God’s revealed will.

What God has made known to us. His commands and instructions for his people to follow.

Where, in his spoken, inspired recorded word.

Paul is praying that believers would be filled with he knowledge of God’s will that has been made-known to us.

It is not something you need to go and find - “God’s will for my life.”

God’s word is far more intersted in the who you are, than what you are to do.

What it God’s will for you:

Glory of God

Thanksgiving

sanctification

enjoying God

Eternal Union with Jesus

Knowing God’s Will - As revealed to us in his word, and illuminated by his Spirit.

Some of us have grown up in a Christian environment that has limited the gospel, or the revelation of God to something along the lines of:

repent and beleive that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour,

now go and try not to sin (Don’t do drugs, don’t get drunk, don’t swear or lie and don’t have sex outside of marriage).

and anything more than that is erring into legalism.

(This was the view of the Christian life I was raised in) Maybe you are living in that mindset still.

But the Gospel of grace is one that saves sinners as God brings us from death to life that we may repent and belive that Jesus is Lord, and then compells us by the power of the Spirit to submit our entire life to Christ.

And God’s word speaks to how all of life should be shapd by this gospel and submit under Christ.

A life that is for our flourishing as we follow Jesus.

I was shocked, coming out of the mindset I was brought up in, to find out that the Bible actually has a great deal to say about how I am called to live my life according to God’s will and for my benefit.

Examples:

((Now you go, hey, I was deciding where we should live - and the Bible didnt tell me where. I didnt know when to get married… or what to study or whether I should take job option A or B.

and you know. fair call. But:

When it comes to where we live, God’s will counsels us to consider: how we can be most missional through hospitality, where we can ensure we are not ceasing to gather with the saints and love our community in Christ (and proximity can help or hinder that), God’s will shapes how we steward our finances…

When it comes to marriage you wont find a name or a date, but you find what sort of man you should be, or woman. And the Bible has a great deal to say on marriage itself, and conflict and forgivness and love! And in concrete applicable terms))

It speaks to being an employee or a business owner, to raising and disciplining our children, and freindship, there is wisdom for all of life under heaven.

Freinds, I wonder if many of have become comfortable with ignorance becuase it means you can live according to our own will.

God has made his will known to us in his word, let us cast of ignorance and pride.

May our conduct be dictated by our understanding of the Lord’s will revealed in the scriptures. Conduct that isnt tethered to such, is either sinful, or merely religous human tradition.

The Bible is for you… so you might know God’s will.

Worthy and fully Pleasing to Him.

Now, Paul asks that believers would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for a purpose! Whats the purpose,

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him:

The point of being characterised by a knowledge of God’s will is that Christians may live lives of holiness.

Specifcally, lives that are fully pleasing to Christ who is Lord of all.

Right knowledge of God and his grace for us in Jesus should always lead us to great worship.

“the will of God” - God’s word is far more interested in the type of person you are to be through faith in Jesus, than it is what you are to do with your life.

Honour and Shame Culture.

In an honour and shame culture, like Rome at the time, people don’t only think in terms of individual prestige and honour, but how thier lives uphold the honour of thier family, tribe, or master.

In this scenario, to sin, to do something morally corrupt, wasnt only a blight upon the individuals character, but it would bring shame to that individuals family or tribe.

We don’t really think in these terms today, although to bring honour to your house, or to defend your house’s honour is we might atleast have some reference for.

—-

earlier this year, I received my first ever “my Dad is better at something than you.”

Blowing bubbles… for all the kids here, putting in work.

now, in a honour shame culture, as the head of my house, I would have been calling on one of my son’s to suit up… and defend my honour.

and Jordan would have done the same.

Who over came out the victor from that bout, would have won honour, for the head of the house. And the defeated, shame, not just for himself, but for the Lord of that house.

—-

Now, this is the context, the mindset into which Paul writes… we know the will of God, the Lord of the house revealed to us in Christ… that we might walk in a manner worthy of him.

Bringing honour to him.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ——

Fully pleasing > by faith alone.

What a great mysetery this is, that sinners might live in a manner worthy of the God of heaven and earth, and in such a way that is fully pleasing to him.

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

HOW?

Let me remind you, this is not an exhaustive list, it isnt everything that should make up the christian life, everything that should be prayed for, although it is what is typical

Bearing fruit in every good work (10b)

Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 15:1–2 (ESV)

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

From Christian to Christian, there are varying degrees of fruitfulness, although there is always fruit.

True faith that clings to Jesus is always, becoming more like him.

Let us pray, that there is evidence of such.

increasing in the knowledge of God (10c)

Christians Grow… we are not stagnant.

We are forever children. Forever learners.

The prayers of the humble recognise that we will never exhaust the riches of God’s grace and the infinite glories of who he is.

There is always more to behold and delight in.

Being strengthened with all power according to God’s glorious might for all (great) endurance and patience with JOY (11)

Endurance - is the kind of stamina that gets under a weight, a burden, a responsibility, a suffering, a pain, and carries it with fortitude.

Patience is self control - it is the stamina, or the strength to control ones own desires when waiting is required.

These are two virtues, that are not valued in our culture today. Instead we err towards quick fixes, instant gratification, the avoidance of responsibility.

We value a champagne type mindset. If it starts with a fun pop, has lots of fizz and gives a good high - then it must be good, irrespective of whether it has any nutritional value for the long haul.

As the people of Christ, we should value, celebrate, and pray for what honors Christ, not what the world values.

We should pray for patience and endurance. Faithfulness.

consistency

longevity.

Let us celebrate what honors Christ, not what the world values.

Becuase endurance and patience may seem ordinary, unexiting virtues, but we require the power of God’s glorious might to be strengthened in them.

So let us pray!

Giving thanks always to God! (12-14)

Let us pray prayers of thanksgiving, that believers would be marked as people of gratefulness.

For this is the appropriate disposition of those who have received an exceedingly extravagant gift they don’t deserve.

Like children, With gratefulness we should free receive the gift of Grace. Why?

English Standard Version Chapter 1

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 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.