A GRACIOUS AND GRATEFUL LIFE COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

Introduction

This morning I want to have a pastor to people chat about thanksgiving. I want you to think about this verse I am about to share with you. I believe it will get us going in the direction that God would have us go today. Colossians 3:15 declares, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Praise is the flip-side of thanksgiving. It is impossible to give praise to God and fail to be thankful. It is impossible to be thankful and fail to praise God. Praise and gratitude to God for everything is what makes a grateful and gracious life. Today we will look at the two foundational pillars of a grace-filled and gratitude-filled Christian life. Such a life will be pleasing to Christ.

I. A Gracious and Grateful Life is Bound Up in Prayer (4:2-4).

Prayer is directly connected to thanksgiving. F.B. Meyer once said, “The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer.” Many times, the only time people pray is when a crisis comes into their lives.

There was a man who got into trouble while flying his little Cessna plane. He called the control tower, “Pilot to tower, I am three hundred miles from the airport, six hundred feet above ground, and I am out of fuel. I am descending rapidly. Please advise. Over.” The tower responded, “Tower to pilot, repeat after me: “Our Father Who art in heaven...”

The question I get about prayer more than any other is this: “How am I to pray?” They are not concerned with content as much as the power in prayer. For many people, prayer is merely a bunch words strung together with no effectual power. In response to the question of how to pray, there at least four heart conditions that must be met for a powerful prayer life of graciousness and gratefulness.

A. It is a Prayer Life that is Faithful (2).

“Continue steadfastly in prayer” literally means, “to persist in praying.” It carries the idea of devoting oneself to prayer. It is the gritty determination never to give up. An effective and powerful prayer life requires ongoing attention. When we refuse to give up on prayer we will never give up in prayer.

B. It is a Prayer Life that is Watchful (2).

Watchful praying is informed praying. We must be vigilant in our praying. The concept of “watch and pray” has its origin in the book of Nehemiah in the context of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:9 states, “We made our prayer to God, and, because of them we set a watch against them day and night.” Jesus used the phrase in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:38 says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” An effective and powerful prayer life requires spiritual alertness. We are to pray with confident expectation.

C.It is a Prayer Life that is Thankful (2).

A prayer life that is all about getting and no giving is selfish and childish. If you want fervor and power in your praying, come to God with thanksgiving for what He has already done for you. Thankfulness is connected to watchfulness in prayer. The phrase in this verse reads, “Be watchful in thankfulness.” This balances the call to watchfulness. Being thankful in prayer means that we are confident that God will answer our prayer. However, we must be willing to accept His answer, even if it is NO.

D. It is a Prayer Life that is Purposeful (3-4).

Praying that is purposeful means praying intercessory prayers. Intercessory praying is praying sacrificially for others. Paul was asking for prayer that the door of opportunity would be open for him and others for the gospel.

The Apostle Paul understood the power of prayer. Paul wanted the Colossian believers to understand what they were to pray for. He wanted them to pray towards a specific purpose. He wanted them to pray for an open door to the gospel (3). The next purpose in their praying was that once the door of opportunity flung open that he would be effective in going through that door. Paul was concerned about what so many in the church are not concerned about today. He was concerned about the spiritual health of others. He was concerned about their souls. He was concerned about their salvation, and he was concerned about their sanctification.

There are at least five things that happen when we pray prayers that are faithful, watchful, thankful, and purposeful.

Prayer will light the fire of burden bearing. We become owners of the burden of others, and we become partners with God in prayer. This means He will involve us in ways that we cannot even imagine.

Prayer puts the brakes on our preferences. This type of praying will force you to wait on God. I agree with what John MacArthur says about this type of praying. He states: “There is a tension resolved by being persistent, yet accepting God’s answer when it comes.”

Prayer takes off spiritual blinders. This type of praying enables us to see with strengthened spiritual eyes what God is doing and how He is doing it.

Prayer realigns our hearts with God’s heart. We see things from God’s perspectives rather than our preferences.

Prayer propels us to advancement. Prayer engages God. Prayer enables God’s people. Prayer enlarges God’s kingdom.

I said all that just to say that a gracious and grateful life is bound up in prayer.

II. A Gracious and Grateful Life is Bound Up in Wisdom (4:5-6).

The Bible abounds with references to living with wisdom. Two Old Testament examples stand out. In Job 28 after having dealt with the harsh and unwise words of Bildad, Job asks, “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.” As the text continues to unfold, Job once again asks the question, “From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?” At the end of the chapter, Job credits God with giving the answer, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.”

Then there is the example of Solomon. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. God tells us about wisdom through Solomon in Proverbs 11:30. There he says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” This truth leads into what the last two verses of the passage is talking about. To live a gracious and grateful life, one cannot forever remain in the prayer closet. We come through the prayer closet to the door of opportunity. As we go through that door we are to walk in wisdom. Walk in wisdom toward whom? We are to walk in wisdom toward those who are outside the faith.

A. Our Conduct before Unbelievers Must be Wise (5).

The phrase, “walk in wisdom is literally “in wisdom be walking.” This phrase refers to possessing a proper conduct of life. This is where our prayers grow feet. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it really matters. This is where we have influence. This is where the seed of opportunity begins to grow. We are to possess a proper attitude of the life we have in Christ to those who do not have this life. We have both a relationship and a responsibility to those who are unbelievers. We must behave in wisdom to what unbelievers believe about Christ. We must be ready to respond to unbelievers in what they believe.

Part of walking in wisdom is making the best use of the time. That is, we are to make the most of every opportunity. This speaks of every believer’s obligation to make the revelation of Christ clearly known. We are to redeem the time before it slips away. In other words, every minute is precious and is not to be wasted.

The wise community of faith exploits every opportunity given for evangelism and a Christian witness. Look for the opportunity to turn every conversation into a gospel conversation (5).

B. Our Speech before Unbelievers Must be Wise (6).

Not only must our conduct before unbelievers be wise, but we must also possess wisdom of speech. Our speech is to always be gracious before and with unbelievers. We are to couple a godly life with spoken words. Roy Fish once said, “If the apostles only lived godly lives, there would be no book of Acts.” Our speech is to be seasoned as with salt. That is, our speech ought to be appealing, not appalling. Our speech is to be full of graciousness and sensitivity. The good news of Jesus Christ is only good news if those who do not know Him hear about Him in time.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving is amazing. When we are thankful, our worries cease. When we are thankful, our complaining disappears. When we are thankful, peace comes into our hearts. Thanksgiving spares us from the ugliness of complaining, being critical and condemning and being an angry and a depressed people. Thanksgiving has a marvelous healing and soothing quality to the people who learn to exhibit it. It makes us into a gracious and grateful people.

Praying is part of thanksgiving. Genuine prayer makes us a grateful people. Praying people are grateful people. Grateful people conduct themselves in true biblical wisdom before a watching and lost world as they bear gracious testimony of Christ who has been so gracious to them.