Actions of Thankfulness, Prayer, and Wisdom

Introduction

Paul writing to the church at Colossae (Colossians is a letter)

Paul had never been to the church and so he relys on the appointed leaders to share how things are going

Colossae is struggling with false teachings (specifically about spiritual forces)

False teaching - perform rituals

Resurrection of Christ isnt enough

Original teachings that you live how you want then you make a sacrifice

Jesus and living a Christian life is contrary to the teachings

Jesus is enough, he is more than enough, Jesus should be first over everything

Today we start with Pauls introduction to the letter

Pauls introductions are short sermons and typically include thanks, encouragement, and the gospel

Today we will look at his letter and see how important thankfulness, prayer, and wisdom, are to keeping Jesus over everything

(Read the text)

Thankfulness

Immediately we draw from the text that Paul and Timothy are thankful for the church of Colossae

Is it true thankfulness? Yes!

Thankfulness is a verb requires an action - thought, word, or deed

Example: When you are most thankful for something you express it some way - When someone is thankful to you they will usually say or do something about it

Paul is moved, encouraged, thankful enough to write this letter

Paul is thankful for the faith they have in Jesus Christ

Paul is thankful for the love of the saints that they have

Paul is thankful for the hope they have in heaven

Vs. 4 - since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. (Where have we seen faith, hope, & love together?)

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Example: Membership class we talked about 1 Corinthians 12 & 13 and how it is talking about the church

A church is suppossed to have faith, hope and love, Although Paul hasnt been to the church of Colossae, he is affirming and encouraging that it is a church.

Church- for the past 2 years I have experienced that this church has faith, hope, and love WE ARE A CHURCH

Paul is thankful for a church that he has never been too and is so thankful that he is writing a letter to them. Are we thankful for what we have here? I know its been a rough last couple of years. I know its easy to fixate on everything that is wrong or unhealthy, but are you making room to be thankful for what this church still has? Everyone here is here for one reason or another and so while you are here we need to have a heart of thankfulness.

Paul is also thankful in vs. 5 & 6 - 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

Paul is thankful that the church is striving to be rooted in truth and is also thankful for what that truth produces

Truth of the gospel produces bearing of fruit and increase

When we have and know Jesus we will bear fruit and that fruit should spill into others and the church of Christ should grow

This all begins with Jesus

Church: I know that we have Jesus, where is our fruit and where is the growth?

In the past couple of months we have had baptisms, new members, and a couple of kids from the community attend different events.

We are still doing the Lords work. The baptisms and membership. It is the result of years of faithfulness

We are to be thankful for the increase and we are to continue the work that is laid before us

How many more baptisms can we have? members added?

We must stay faithful with a posture of gratitude

In the text we see a servant who is faithful and we find Paul being thankful for him.

Epaphras has been the one that has been informing Paul and Timothy and so now they are affirming him as a church leader. Vs. 6-8 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.[b] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Epapharas has been faithful to the church of Colossae in serving and proclaiming the truth of the gospel

Epaphras himself was thankful for the church - his actions in writing to Paul and timothy show that he wasnt only sharing the church struggles but how the church is growing spritually and in numbers

Paul and Tomothy are not just affirming Epaphras but encouraging the church to be thankful for him as well

Church: No matter who is here in this pulpit leading the church, if they are faithfully serving and preaching the truth of the gospel, we should be thankful and encouraged.

I exhort us as a church to recognize what have as a church and to be thankful for it. As I read Colossians and am looking at our church I can see us in it. God has and continues to bless our church.

I look at the Parable of the talents - 5, 2, 1

The first two men were thankful for the opportunity given by the master and were faithful and multiplied the masters talents

Master says: Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.

Sometimes in our circumstance we view things as the slothful servant. We see our friends and family leave the church, we see our giving decrease, we see less people serving our at events and our mindset is that we are being punished. That God is taking away from us

I admit that at times I have fallen to this mindset. But what God has shown me that there is a remnant here that IS thankful, does love Jesus, that is beings faithful to truth, that is bearing fruit, and that is increasing

Because of this I believe that God is blessing us by showing New Day church, showing us how we can grow, I believe that God is blessing our work with a little and is saying now I will set you over much

If our congregations hearts were of stone and we really were being unfaithful I do not believe that we would have any opportunity to grow but thats not whats happening

We can look at this opportunity in 2 ways. 1. That is a scary and we should fear it. It is hard to let go of what we know. We know how to miultiply 5 talents, I dont know how to multiply 20, maybe I shouldnt do it. What if I lose a talent? Just because there was success with 5 talents doesnt mean that we will have success with 20 - This way of looking at it paralyzes us.

2. Look at it with a heart of thankfulness - We did not baptize or add to this church, God did! Jesus has saved us, The Holy Spirit moves with us. Yes we were faithful but it was God who brings all the blessings. So we are thankful for Gods work and just like we trusted him to guide us with the 5 talents, we are thankful for the increase and will continue to trust and be faithful

Church: From a posture of thankfulness we are compelled to move into action. Thankfulness is an action and it should spill over into every area of our life.

We find next that Pauls vehicle for thankfulness is prayer

Prayer

Back in Vs. 1 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Paul and Timothy lift up the global church but also the specific community church

In that prayer is when they thank God for them and then ask on their behalf.

Vs. 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

We see the word cease: The same cease found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The prayers for the local church does not end. They dont lift up the church of Colossae once and then stop, (We do this a lot) but they continually lift them up in prayer.

In addition, if we look ahead Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Are we praying for our church? I dont care what this church is going through, in our good times and in our bad times we must be praying for our church.

We are to pray without ceasing in all circumstances, thanking God and making requests known for the church.

Asking - Have you ever thought: If God knows all things then he already knows what we need/want so we do not need to pray.

Take you back to the ending of 1 Thessalonians passage - “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

We pray because it is God’s will that we are one with him. He wants to be in relationship with us. God wants us to make our requests because he wants to hear from us. To be close to him

Remember Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Example: You already know your kids are going to want dessert. They actually want the dessert before the meal.

You also know the kids favorite dessert. More often than not they will eat the same dessert over and over again.

Yet, the kids still ask for it. They are vocal in it and they trust that they will recieve it.

Try not giving them desert one time and see if they dont raise their voice at you.

Often times when we dont pray its because life is going great. We are getting our dessert daily. As soon as the dessert stops, then we cry out for it. Then we start praying as we should because the dessert.

In prayer we pray with thanksgiving because it is in thanksgiving that you do not take the dessert for granted. That you recognize your blessings and yet still make our requests known to God.

Church: God knows what we need. God knows what we are struggling with. Yet, he still wants us to talk to him.

To reject or resist praying is to reject the will of God and to reject the will of God is to reject Christ Jesus

If your wondering if there are consequences to not praying there are!

James 4:1-5 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are at war within you?[b] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

To summarise - When you dont pray you will have trouble, you wont recieve all that you need, and then you become distanced from God.

Church: In our life we need to be in prayer for all things. It is vital to our walk with God. It is vital to the health of the church. And when we do, there are benefits!

Wisdom

In Pauls prayer to the church he asks in vs 9 - “that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Why is this important?

Prayer goes beyond meeting your needs.

When you pray you are close to God and that comes with clarity and wisdom

Where does this sound familiar? Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world,[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Pauls request for the church is that they are renewed and full of knowledge in Spiritual wisdom and understanding

Wisdom isnt something that is instantly out into you once you are saved. It is a continual process as you pray, study scripture, meet with one another, worship, and give.

As we set our sights upon Jesus and draw close to him, we will grow spiritually!

In our growth with Jesus we now are enabled to do some things. Vs. 10-12 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Our wisdom in Christ leads us to be able to walk in a worthy manner that isnt just pleasing but FULLY pleasing

Wisdom doesnt lead to half hearted faith

Wisdom doesnt lead to half hearted servanthood

Wisdom doesnt lead to hald hearted happieness

Rather - Wisdom leads to you being empowered by the Holy Spirit to do good works that will bear fruit and with the Holy Spirit you are empowered to have a long lasting ministry that brings patience and joy

Church: Are growing in wisdom to be transformed and bear fruit?

Example: I have been assigning HW to our youth and I am thankful that some are really being faithful to it. Im sure the reward helps but still I’m proud of the effort

One of them gave me an excuse that with with everything they didnt have time.

So of course I said, “So you didnt open your Bible a single time for a week?”

How are we suppossed to grow in wisdom if we arent in the word?

Even as adults we fall into the same trap! I am guilty that there are weeks that I am not a 7/7 where I spent time with God every single day.

As believers that is what we should strive to do.

We need to be a 7/7 everyday growing in wisdom and walking with Jesus.

The more we are with him the more thankful we will be.

And we are thankful for his promises.

We give thanks that we are promised and have hope to be able to share in the inheritance of heaven!

This is a promise Paul solidifies in Vs. 13-14 “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.”

This is the gospel message summed up in two vereses here in the introduction!

God is the one who delivers us! It was His plan. We have nothing, absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. Our acceptance of Jesus is a mere response to the call of the Holy Spirit sent by God to open our eyes and show us the need for Jesus!

It is Jesus who provides redemption

It is Jesus who provides forgiveness

It is Jesus who provides everlasting life

We need to understand that everything, absolutely everything starts with Jesus.

Without Jesus there is no faith, there is no hope, there is no love.

There is a heaven and there is a hell and without Jesus you are destined to hell

And as we trust in Jesus we recognize that we are saved and so through Him we are able to be thankful, pray, and grow in wisdom.

We have to submit that Jesus is what matters over EVERYTHING!

We cannot be tied down with busy life.

Maybe thats where you are at

Maybe youve been putting Jesus off

Maybe youve accepted Jesus but you arent walking close to him

Maybe you are walking with Him but you arent striving for 7/7.

Let today be the day that you let your salvation spill into your actions - to be thankful, to pray, and grow in wisdom