Thankfulness in Christ

Colossians 1:3-8

1. INTRODUCTION

a. Thankfulness is one of those things that we all know we should be but struggle with. If we were able to look at all the things we have and not look at the things we don’t have, we’d be more thankful. But the human heart is sinful and we don’t look at the things we have. We look at the things we don’t have. It’s like the child who receives the toy he wants for Christmas, than in 1 month asks his mom and dad about the new toy he wants for his birthday. This is the picture of all of us. This is why Paul tells us that the primacy, the most important thing we should be thankful for is our knowledge of Christ.

b. One of the great riches that I have received in my life just as all Christians is the knowledge of knowing our savior. Paul reminds us this truth in Philippians 3:7-10 where he tells us that he considered all the things of the world as gain, but after knowing Christ, all those things became useless to him. And now the most important thing to him is to know Christ and the power of His death and resurrection.

c. It is when we remember these truths that Paul tells us that we are truly thankful. It is through these truths that we see fruit in our own lives.

2. BODY

a. Thankful for God’s completed work (1:3-5)

i. Paul starts verse 3 by thanking God for our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that Christians should always be thankful in Christ. This is the chief characteristic of every true believer in Christ. Believers must be thankful in Christ and looking to Christ for everything.

ii. This motivation causes Paul to thank God and pray for the saints at Colossae. When we are thankful to God, it causes us to be thankful for others in Christ. Paul reminds us that when we lose focus of being thankful in Christ, it causes us to be cold to others. But when we are focused on Christ, if we are walking the Christian life properly, then we will pray for others and love others.

iii. Why does Paul pray for them? Verse 4 tells us that because Paul heard of the faith in Christ Jesus and the love which they have for the saints. Paul is praying for the church at Colossae because of their love for Christ and again, their love for others. This is the natural process of true believers in Christ. If you love Christ, it will cause you to love others. The fruit of loving Christ will naturally be to love the church. This is the natural response of every true believer in Christ. This is why I stated that it’s impossible to love Christ and hate the church. If we are walking with Christ, we will love others. This is what Paul is teaching us in verse 3.

iv. Verse 5 doesn’t connect with verse 4 but verse 3. Paul wrote in verse 3 that Paul is thankful to God. Why is he thankful to God? Verse 5 tells us why.

v. Why should we be thankful for this? Paul states in verse 5 because of the hope laid up for you in Heaven. We want to stop it right there because Paul deals with the result of true believers. The reality of all true believers in Christ is that they have hope which is laid up in Heaven because of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

vi. This is what Paul referred to back in verse 1 that Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God. You see the will of God here is referring to the hope that has been laid up in Heaven.

vii. What’s important here is how Paul writes. Paul writes, that he is thankful to God the Father, because of their faith in Christ, and in verse 8, their love in the Spirit. What we see here is a trinitarian work. We should never read or understand salvation without understanding how the triune God works together. The plan of salvation explained in Scripture is that the Father appoints the son, and the son will have to bear man's nature to bear man's curse. Then the son accepts this mission to be mediator on behalf of man. He will live and die for mankind. Finally, the Spirit will apply the finished work of Christ in the lives of believers. Simply put, the Father plans, elects, and sends. The Son lives, dies and rises and the Spirit empowers Christ and applies His finished work in the lives of believers. This is why we have this hope which is laid up for us in heaven. It is because this salvation is the finished work of God on our behalf.

viii. What’s amazing about all this is that it is one plan of salvation. If salvation was not a single operation, then we would have three salvations. But because God is united in His divinity, all three persons work together to accomplish one salvation.

ix. What is this wonderful salvation? It is the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is the truth that Christ has come in the flesh to live and die on behalf of mankind that man might believe and have new life in Him. All who put their trust in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, all who repent of their sin and turn to Christ, they will have life. Paul tells the church at Colossae, that is what he thanks God for. Paul tells us that is what they have heard in the word of truth.

x. The truth that this church has heard and even we have heard is that apart from Christ, there is no salvation. Salvation is a work that God has planned and is continuing to do so.

b. Thankful for God’s continued work (1:6-8)

i. This is why Paul starts verse 6 by stating that this Gospel has come to you and also in all the world as it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing. This is the marvelous truth about the Gospel. The Gospel is not a message we hear once and we forget. Rather, Paul reminds us that the Gospel is something that is constantly bearing fruit. It is a continual work in the lives of believers. It is a continual reason to give thanks to God. It is a continual reason to be praying and having hope. Why? Because our lives continue to move. It continues to press forward. We don’t stop having problems. No, our problems keep coming and we face new challenges everyday. This is why the Gospel is continuous. It continually gives us hope and not only that, Paul tells us that it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing.

ii. This is the reality of every believer. God continues to work in the lives of believers because of the grace of God in truth. You see, God works in our lives through the truth. God isn’t just the truth. He Himself is the truth (John 14:6) but He also uses the truth in work in our lives. God has given us His word so that we can know who He is and we can know how to walk closer to Him.

iii. Just as we learned this through those who preach to us, Paul tells us that this was no different in the church at Colossae. Epaphras, Paul’s beloved fellow bond-servant who is a faithful servant of Christ taught the church at Colossae. He was the one who preached to them and encouraged them regarding Christ. Epaphras is called a faithful servant of Christ because He preached Christ. Epaphras taught the grace of God in truth. He taught the church that salvation was found only in one person. It was found in the person and work in the Lord Jesus Christ and that was the only way we would have hope laid out for us in heaven.

iv. What’s amazing here in verse 6 is that they heard and understood this truth. This is the work of God. You see, we hear the Gospel all the time, some of us grew up in the church and we heard the Gospel but it had no effect on us. Why? Because God had not opened up our ears and hearts.

v. What is amazing is that Epaphras continually taught and preached the Gospel until people understood it and learned it. The phrase here heard and understood tells us that the truth was explained and exemplified by Epaphras. Epaphras didn’t just preach the Gospel once and move on. He labored continually and worked hard to help these people understand what the Gospel was. He was faithful because He continued and worked.

vi. But not only did he teach this to his people. He displayed the love of God to his church. You see, Epaphras taught these people with his life. Once they recognized the truth about the facts of Christ with his life, they recognized those facts as true.

vii. Verse 8 closes this section but is probably the most important verse in this whole section. Why do I say this? Because it was through the Spirit, that the Gospel of Christ was known and understood. This verse should better be translated, “love inspired by means of the Spirit” because it is through the Holy Spirit that we come to know the work of Christ. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that applies the finished work of Christ in our lives. That is how we come to know the love of God.

viii. We tend to overlook and undermine the ministry of the Holy Spirit but Paul tells us that it was in the Spirit, that our love was made known. You see apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, there is no love for the brethren. It is because of the work of the Holy Spirit that the saints are constantly bearing fruit and growing. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that people are hearing and understanding the word of truth. It is through the Holy Spirit that dead men can come to life.

ix. This miracle that they had experienced was what was reported to Paul. Their love in the Spirit, the supernatural love of God was experienced in this church and reported to other churches. This is the same miracle that every true believer in Christ has experienced. This is why when we ask the question, how do you know you are saved? The Holy Spirit is the reason we know the answer. The Holy Spirit reveals to us what the Father has done, through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Simply put, the Father plans, elects, and sends. The Son lives, dies and rises and the Spirit empowers Christ and applies His finished work in the lives of believers. May we never forget the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.

3. CONCLUSION