Sermon Tone Analysis

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Understand the Context

Colosse was a minor city about one hundred miles east of Ephesus in the region of the seven Asian churches of Revelation 1–3.

Located in the fertile Lycus Valley by a mountain pass on the road from Ephesus to the East, Colosse once was a populous center of commerce, famous for its glossy black wool.

By the time of Paul, it had been eclipsed by its neighboring cities, Laodicea and Hierapolis (cf.

4:13), and was on the decline.

(Open Bible Study Notes)

An earthquake destroyed the cities in the region in 60 A.D. without any mention of this hardship in the letter the early dating of 58 AD.. is generally recognized.

Paul began his Letter to the Colossians with the standard first-century opening for letters.

It contained three elements: the identity of the writer, that of the recipients, and a polite greeting.

By terming himself an apostle, Paul set forth his authority as a spokesperson for God.

He included Timothy in the greeting, not as a co-author but a trusted associate who was with Paul at the time of writing (Col.

1:1).

Paul expressed his thankfulness to God for the church and assured them of his prayers for them.

The testimony of their faith, love, and hope had reached the apostle.

He was also aware that the Colossians were bearing fruit, just as was happening everywhere the gospel was preached (1:3-6).

The naming of Epaphras as a faithful servant of Christ who had told him about the Colossians’ love implied that Paul had not personally visited their church.

Epaphras, whom he later in 4:12 referred to as one of them, was most likely associated with the founding of the Colossian church (1:7-8).

[LifeWay Adults (2020).

(p.

74).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Fall 2021.

LifeWay Press.

Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

We begin our study at the beginning of the specifics of what Paul is praying for them and how he desires all believers who read the letter to grow in Christ.

Then as a part of the reason we are able to grow in Christ-likeness Paul expounds on the authority and power that Jesus is endowed with in order to make that redemption and growth possible.

The “prayer” ends with a final reminder of what Christ has pulled us all out of and the hope that we now can have which Paul gladly proclaims to “all creation”.

Explore the Text

This is one of those prayers that you can always come back to when you don’t know what to pray for someone.

In one of the lesson books, it suggest making two columns and under one record all the things in our passage today that are done through and to the believer and the other column all that are done by God for the believer.

We get to put 6 things in that first column:

filled with knowledge - specifically of His will

spiritual wisdom

spiritual understanding

walk worthy and full pleasing to the Lord

bearing spiritual fruit through good works

increasing in the knowledge of God

If you were here or listened to the recording of last Sunday night’s message by Pastor Steve, you probably know which Greek word for knowledge it being used here.

As a refresher, there are 3 words often translated for knowledge with the same root: gnosis, ginosko, and epignosis.

Each of these is progressively more intense and fuller.

Gnosis is the most basic and epignosis the word used both times in these verses is the fullest.

It requires time, study, and understanding to develop.

Steve had a great example of a couple who has been married from many years have an epignosis kind of knowledge about each other.

In our list there is a being filled with knowledge and then increasing in knowledge.

Epignosis lets us have both be true, you can learn all there is to know about a person’s past but as you continue to walk together the new situations you walk through increase your knowledge about them and yourself.

All of these things on our list are rooted in God and sense He is limitless, there is no limit to how much of any of these we can obtain of fulfill.

You will notice that I put walking in a worthy manner and fully pleasing in the same list item.

Although it may be read differently, they are the same concept and I think duplicated for emphasis as one can not be done to the exclusion of the other.

The word used for “fully” is the Greek word pas translated elsewhere in the passage as “all” and “every” so the concept of fully or completely pleasing applies.

Although Paul is expressing his prayer for the Colossians to bear fruit in a spiritual sense, I like the concept of being sustenance for another and enabling another to grow spiritually.

We learned last week that we cannot bear fruit without abiding in the vine (John 15:5) so this fruit although we can present to others and others will see it, its growth and ripening for usefulness is done by the Lord.

What kind of fruit does God want us to bear?

First, He wants us to bear the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23 and comment).

Second, through our own witness and example, God wants us to “bear” or raise up new believers, new disciples, new children for Him; this kind of “fruit” is also pleasing to God (see John 15:16; Philippians 1:9–11 and comments).

Notice that Paul says that we must keep growing in the knowledge of God.

A tree either grows, or it dies.

If we see a tree that has stopped growing and has stopped bearing fruit, then we know that that tree is about to die.

Let our Christian lives never reach that state! - Hale, Thomas.

The Applied New Testament Commentary.

Colorado Springs, CO; Ontario, Canada; East Sussex, England: David C. Cook, 1996.

Print.

Let’s continue in the next 2 verses and see what we can add to our lists.

7. Strengthened by His glorious might

8. Endurance

9. Patience with joy

10.

Giving thanks to God

Verse 11 starts off with some words that probably sounded good to the Greek ear but is a bit strange - “strengthened with strength” when literally translated into English.

Both these words have the same root from which we get dynamic and dynamite so the verse could read “empowered with all power coming down with his divine power”.

This is a good example of the use of a dynamic translation to bring out meaning while avoiding confusion.

“Glory” itself is typically Jewish and often connected to theophanies.

More importantly, the ideas of power and glory are paired in several OT passages: 1 Chr 29:11; Pss 63:2 [62:3, LXX]; 145:11; Dan 2:37; and, significantly, in Mark 13:26 and parallels, where Jesus alludes to Daniel 7, saying, “Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.”

The theophanic overtones and the background of Daniel for this pairing support the idea that here it is an eschatological pairing; Paul had Jesus’ reign in view as he wrote here.

- Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon.

Vol.

16.

Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.

Print.

When I hear the word endurance I think about distance runners - like Rose - and Iron Man participants.

The ancient Greeks probably had a similar concept of long struggle, but this also has the implications of not only being able to make to the finish line but also does not get distracted, stumble, or pushed off course.

One who endures spiritually stay in the center of God’s will and remains “pleasing” to Him.

There are some scholarly discrepancies about whether the word joy goes with the act of giving thanks to God or with patience.

I don’t know about you, but I think “patience without joy” can be much harder to endure through.

We are told to “rejoice in all things” so either way does not contradict with the rest of Scripture.

If you are making the lists, we now shift to the other column and would not return to the believer’s side until the last verse in our passage of study.

We give thanks to God because of all that He has done for and through us and Paul begins here in verse 12 expounding upon a sizeable list.

It is God that enables us to be able to share today in our inheritance of tomorrow by “qualifying” us for redemption.

keeping with the racing theme, this would be God’s stamp on your entry form that you have proven yourself in the past and He is the sponsor providing all the necessary equipment for you in the future.

As non-Jews (Gentiles), the Colossians would have been considered outsiders to God’s blessings, which were reserved for the people of Israel.

However, the central truth of the gospel for Paul was that Christ’s death and resurrection brought salvation for all who believed, Jews and Gentiles alike - Barry, John D. et al.

Faithlife Study Bible.

Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Print.

We each get a portion of this inheritance, but since it is limitless there really isn’t a portion to be had.

However, this is in line with the inheritance practices of the day that secondary offspring get a share, but the Firstborn gets the double-share.

What else can we put in our second column of Christ’s work “for the believer”

Depending on which translation of the Bible you read, and the commentary uses this verse may be the beginning of the poetic, hymn like verses of the Preeminent One.

I am more inclined toward it completing the description of how and why we are “qualified” for the inheritance.

Part of my reasoning is the common use by Paul in his letters of using contrasting concepts and words to make a point.

Here the “domain of darkness” or under the rule of sin is in direct contrast to verse 11 inheritance “in light”.

There is also the contrast between being delivered and being transferred.

We are taken out of darkness, placed into light, removed from separation, and placed into holy fellowship, pulled from solitude and torment, and placed into a kingdom community and love.