Ministry Involves Suffering

Colossians- The Preeminence of Jesus Christ

Lesson Five:  Ministry Involves Suffering (1:24-27)

Vs. 24-26

 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

“rejoice in what was suffered for you”

This statement seems like an oxymoron in the sense that suffering and rejoicing don’t usually go together and rejoicing is not usually a product of suffering. However Paul gives us the reality of ministry and the attitude we must have. Being a minister to the Gentiles Paul suffered severely for the sake of the gospel (cf. 2 Cor. 11:24-28).

How was Paul able to rejoice in suffering?

1.    His suffering allowed him to identity with Jesus.

2.    His concern was for the churches- his focus was on others rather than himself.

3.    He was living out God’s calling (commission) on his life

“I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions”

Paul was enduring and serving on Christ’s behalf. Now that Jesus was gone, due to persecution till death, Paul was now receiving persecution because of his identity with Christ. Paul’s attitude was- Jesus suffered in His flesh for me, now I will suffer in my flesh for Him.

It’s important to understand that Paul is not meaning to imply that the sacrifice of Christ was not a sufficient payment for sin and now Paul was filling in where Christ fell short. This would be heresy and would go against everything Paul just taught about Christ in the previous section of chapter one.

Paul is saying that he is receiving in his flesh the continuing persecution people have toward Christ even though He is gone. Jesus was no longer around to be persecuted and Paul is receiving the persecution in His flesh that is meant for Christ (cf. Jn 15:18-21).

“for the sake of His body, which is the church”

Paul was suffering this persecution for the body of Christ, the Church, the believers. His service to others was focused on their spiritual maturity.

He sees this service as his ministry and allows him to rejoice in the suffering.

“servant by the commission God gave me”

Paul was living out God’s calling on his life and could do it for the joy set before him no matter what that entailed and no matter what trial that brought (cf. Heb. 12:2; Jm 1:2). Paul could rejoice because he was living out the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (cf., Ro. 12:1-2).

As servants of God we must keep our focus on our identity with Christ, the benefit of others, and the calling of God in order to avoid bitterness or burnout but instead rejoice in our service.

What was God’s commission to Paul?

“to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.”

What a calling- to present the word of God in its fullness! As servants we must be about the entire Bible and present all that God has said. In context Paul is referring primarily to the new revelation of a previous mystery of God, namely, the Spirit of Christ indwelling believers (1:26-27) and the person of Christ Himself (vs. 2:2).

The mystery has only been revealed to saints in the sense that they are the only one’s experiencing it. The next verse reveals one of the great blessings of this new revelation of God.

Vs. 27

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

A mystery in the Bible is usually referring to something previously unrevealed rather than something not understandable. It was (and still is) hard for people to understand that salvation is a free gift of God that comes by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone. We will see in our later studies they also struggled with sanctification being by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone. However, the false teachers around Colossae taught believers needed to work hard for sanctification and live by the Law and Paul will explain the mystery of our freedom from the Law and sanctification by the Spirit of Christ, how this is our only hope for true sanctification and victory over the flesh. Christ prophesied about this blessing (cf. John 14:16-26; 16:5-15) and Paul begins to explain it here and will does so more fully in chapters 2 and 3. This was a mystery in the Old Testament but essential in the new dispensation of grace or the church age.

So even though Paul’s ministry of fully preaching the word of God involved suffering this suffering was for believers to experience victorious living. Paul began to explain how the mystery that now has been revealed, namely, that Christ lives in all believers and this gives us the certain hope of a holy and glorious presentation at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. vs. 22-23).

As you suffer in your service to others, your life of ministry, remember that in the sacrifice you are identifying with Christ, serving for the benefit of others, and living out the calling of God for your life. In this way we can experience joy through the times of suffering.

 

Israel Day Six - Dedication

Day Six - Dedication

We started day six climbing Mt. Gilboa, an extended ridge on the southeast side of the Jezreel Valley. This was a strategic site for Israel as the Valley was a route from Galilee to the north and Samaria to the south. This also made it a place of many battles.  Amongst other things, this is where Hosea prophesied great blessing on Israel (Hosea 1:10-11), where the Philistines killed Saul and his sons (1 Sam. 28:4-5; 31:1-5), and Judges 7 records that Gideon camped and chose his 300 men at the spring of En Harod, which sits at the base of Mt. Gilboa (also called Mt. Gilead). It was interesting to learn some of how Gidean chose his men. He looked for men who were alert, cautious, and aware of their surroundings. The men who drank from the spring by lapping water with their hands and keeping their heads up and eyes on their surroundings make up the 300 men he chose. Fighting with just 300 men ensured God would be glorified through their impossible victory over the Midianites because it becomes unexplainable. Gideon trusted God and often lived an unexplainable life, expect for the power of God. We were challenged to live unexplainable lives for God. Trusting Him to provide, give victory, and get glory through obeying not only what He has called us to but also the way He called us to do it.

Our next stop was Beth She’an, the capitol of the Decapolis, the region occupied by the Pagans and practice of Hellenism. As we came over the hill, possibly where the Garden of Eden might have been located, it was impressive to look down on the remains at Beth She’an. Although God allotted this area to the tribe of Manasseh they could not drive out the Canannites and before the time of Christ the city was renamed Scythopolis and occupied by the Greeks.

It was interesting to learn the 5 key elements of Hellenistic society:

1.     Gymnasium- the development of body and mind

2.     Theater- the center of drama and entertainment

3.     Arena- the place of sport and entertainment

4.     Agora- the practice of upscale shopping

5.     Temples- the worship of many different so-called Gods

In Hellenism the Heroes are athletes, entertainers, thinkers, and the wealthy. Humans are the focus and “I am a God and I want it all” is the motto they live by. It was not hard to see the parallel with our own culture. An earthquake destroyed this city in 7 seconds. We reflected on loving God and not the world knowing that the things of this world will soon pass away (1 Jn. 2:15-17). How can we influence a place like this to see the true God? What is it that we have that they don’t? Our story. We must tell our story. Many people know about Christ but not many realize what it means to their life to walk in a relationship with Him. Let us show and tell with our lives and words.

 

We then traveled to Susita, another city in the Decapolis and a great example to telling of what God has done in a place of Hellenism. This is where Jesus cast out the “legion” of demons from a man, cast them into about 2000 swine, then they jumped into the Sea of Galilee and drowned (Mark 5:1-20).  

Afterwards the man who was possessed wanted to follow Jesus but Jesus did not let him go along and told him to“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” The man went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed’ (Mark 5:19-20).

Sometimes Jesus leaves us right were we are to influence the place we know best, even a sinful, rebellious, seemingly impossible place. Our calling is to tell those around us what great things the Lord has done and how He had mercy on us. The cool thing is Jesus returned to this place and over 4000 people followed Him around listening to His teaching (Mat. 15:32-38) and 300 years later the city became a Christian center. One of the authors of the Nicene Creed would come from here. Amazing what the faithful testimony about the great things and mercy of God can do. It’s almost unexplainable!

 

Our Last stop of the day was the Jordan River. This river connects the Dead Sea in the south to the Sea of Galilee in the North (70 mile distance but 110 miles of winding river). So many things happened along this river and in connection to it. A few things include God identified this as the eastern border of Israel (Num. 34:10-12; Ezk. 48:47:18), large bronze objects of Solomon’s temple were cast (2 Chron. 4:16-17), Elijah and Elisha crossed over the Jordan on dry ground (2 Kings 2:7-14), Joshua and the nation of Israel crossed over into Canaan on dry ground with the Ark of the Covenant (Josh 3:13-17), John the Baptist baptized here (Matthew 3:5-6; Mark 1:5; John 1:28), and this is where Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9).

We focused on Joshua and the fact that the Priest had to trust God to stop the river after they stepped in while carrying the Ark (Josh. 3:14-17). Since all of us had already been baptized (and the water was low with a strong current) we chose to honor the Jewish custom of Mikveh and dedicated our head, heart, hands, and feet to the Lord by sprinkling water in all those places.

Mikveh is a ceremonial bath where a person immerses himself in living water to become ritually clean according to Jewish law and was done before entering the Temple or Synagogue. It is the background to Christian Baptism. For us, it was a meaningful time with God as we rededicated our whole selves to God. We want His truth in our heads to penetrate our hearts and be lived out in our hands and feet. May everything we do be done to reveal the heart and actions of our great God! 

Colossians: Three Truths about Jesus

Colossians- The Preeminence of Jesus Christ

Lesson four: Three Truths about Jesus Christ

The preeminence of Christ (1:15-23)

The false teachers attacking the church at Colossae were undermining the supremacy of Christ. They were not denying that Christ was important but they were incorporating other things into their worship and compromising the place of Christ.

So Paul is going to remind and explain why Christ is the sole focus of our worship and our spiritual lives.

Jesus is the perfect image of God (1:15)

Colossians 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

“image of the invisible God”

The Greek word translated "image" (eikon) does not imply a weakening or a feeble copy of something (like a copy machine or picture). It implies the illumination of its inner core and essence.

The concept of "image" in the scripture seems to involve three things:

1.    Likeness - Christ is the exact likeness of God, a mirror image (Heb. 1:3)

2.    Representation - Christ represents God to us (Heb. 1:3)

3.    Manifestation - Christ makes God known to us (John 1:18)

While God made man in His image (Gen. 1:27), Christ is the image of God (cf. John 1:18; 14:8-9; 2 Co. 4:4).

“the firstborn of all creation”

This refers to His place of rank and authority. In the Hebrew culture the son referred to as the firstborn was not always the first son in birth order but was a phrased used of the son of first priority. Paul is saying that Christ is the One who should be of first priority and be the first authority in our lives.

It is important to point out what this verse does not intend to say. It does not mean that Christ was the first thing God created. The Greek word for first-born and first-created are different. Second, the following verses show that Christ is the One who created, and that all things were created through Him and for Him.

Jesus is the eternal Creator (1:16-18)

 1:16

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.

We see three things about Christ and creation in the verse:

1.    Christ is the originator of creation – It is “by Him” all things originated.

2.    Christ is the agent of creation – It is “through Him” that all things were created. He is the architect and the builder.

3.    Christ is the goal of creation – Creation is “for Him”.

One day all of creation will glorify God through the worship of His Son Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 2:9-11).

1:17

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

“He is before all things”

In context Paul is pointing out that Christ is before all things in two ways:

1.    Temporally in that He is preexistent and existed before creation

2.    Authoritatively in that He is in a place of authority before anything created

These truths show that Christ is no creature. If He were created, He would have had to create Himself. To do that He would have had to exist before He existed, which is impossible.

“in Him all things consist”

Not only is Christ not subject to creation He is actually the sustainer of creation.

1:18

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

“He is the beginning”

Christ is the beginning of the Church because not only did He birth the Church, He is the “head” of the Church in authority and power, as well as the One who supplies it life and vitality.

“the firstborn from the dead”

This speaks to two things:

1.    Of the few people who have been raised from the dead Christ is the first-born, meaning He is the one with highest authority and importance.

2.    Christ is the first person to be resurrected from the dead and experience a glorified body, never to die again. Others could be viewed more as resuscitation than resurrection.

This resurrection and glorification is the basis of Him offering life to us. He promises that all who believe in Him will also be raised from the dead and glorified.  Because of this truth about Him and His promise to us, He is given preeminence in all things within in the Church.

Jesus is Preeminent in Redemption and Rewards (1:19-1:23)

1:19-20

For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

It pleases God that His Son is supreme and that He is fully God and fully human on earth as a man. and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

“reconcile all things to Himself”

To reconcile means to have a change in relationship between two parties from hostility to harmony. The world is in disharmony with God because of sin. Christ, “through the blood of His cross,” made peace and harmony between God and man. Now, because Christ has paid for the sin of the entire world (1 Tim. 4:10), God can receive those who believe in Christ. Now that God and man are now in a state of harmony through the reconciliation of Christ man is now savable and can experience personal or individual reconciliation (cf. 2 Co. 5:18-21). Note- OT salvation was based on the yet future death of Christ that brings reconciliation- Ro. 3:23-25. 

Paul uses the truth of reconciliation to look forward to the believer’s presentation at the judgment seat of Christ, the time just before he enters the Kingdom. All believers will stand before God and receive the inheritance of their rewards (1 Co. 4:5). As we will see, the end goal of reconciliation is not salvation but sanctification that results in a holy presentation at the judgment seat of Christ.

1:21-22

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

As unbelievers they were “alienated and enemies” is two ways:

1.    In their mind – what the believed

2.    In their wicked works – how they lived

We thought and lived in rebellion of God yet the blood and death of Christ still brought the peace of reconciliation. He did this…

“in the body of His flesh”

Paul probably pointed this out because the beginning of Gnostic heresy stated that to be alive spiritually one must come through a spiritual being, not a human being. They were basically denying the deity of Christ, something Paul established just prior to this verse.

The point is that we have been reconciled for a reason. Christ has reconciled us not only for salvation but also for a holy presentation at the judgment seat of Christ, which requires our faith and hope in the resurrected Christ.

“to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight”

The key word is “to present.” Paul is speaking about our presentation at the judgment seat of Christ. Not our position in Christ but our presentation by Christ. This presentation is about the rewards we will receive based on our life here and now (1 Co. 3:10-15; 2 Co. 5:9-10).

Last week we looked at verse 1:12 and learned that positionally we have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance because we have been saved through faith in Christ. Here we learn this includes a holy presentation at the judgment seat.

1:23

if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

The word “if” is a first class condition in Greek which is used to speak of a situation the author assumes to be true for the sake of the argument and therefore carries the idea of confidence.

Paul was confident that they will “continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast” and since it’s assumed they will do this (indeed) it’s assumed they will have a holy presentation.

Although all believers will be presented holy in position not all believers will be presented holy in practice. If we want to have a holy presentation and receive an increased inheritance we must continue in the faith, not being moved away from the hope of the gospel. Again we see the importance of the “hope of the gospel,” the assurance of eternal life, as the foundation for sanctification (cf. 1:4-5 and blog lesson two in this series).

The hope we have in the gospel is the sure promise of eternal life to all those who believe in Christ for it (Jn. 3:16). If we do not have this promise of the gospel the gospel will not produce the fruit of sanctification the way God has designed. If we do not have this hope there is no way we can be grounded and steadfast, and therefore be in danger of moving away from the faith that results in a holy presentation.

Because of whom Christ is and His place of authority, He should be the sole focus of our lives. Let us live in submission to Him as our head, as our authority, as the supreme person in our life. And in this way receive a “holy presentation” by Christ when we stand before God.

LIfe of Christ: Our Response

A study of the person and life of Jesus Christ

Lesson Three: Responding to Jesus as the Christ

Over the last two weeks we have looked at Jesus as the Son of God and as the Messiah and fulfillment of OT prophecy. Today we are still pre-birth in our study of Christ and we will look at how Mary, the one God chose to be the mother of Jesus, and her relative Elizabeth, the mother of John who is the forerunner of Christ, responded to God and to the coming of Jesus.

I did not get this lesson until my sophomore year in college. Once I realized that God wanted to use me in His story and the outworking of His plan on earth I was humbled and amazed. As Ro. 12:1-2 says, I desired to live as a living sacrifice of praise to God. I am still fumbling through that today, but the desire is there. Before this I lived almost 2 years as a Christian in selfishness and apathy in response to God sending Jesus. I lived for comfort and pleasure rather than realizing the joy of sacrificing the flesh to live out God’s truly fulfilling plan for my life.

Last lesson we read the angel Gabriel announce to Mary that she would be the mother of God’s Son…Luke 1:34-35 (notice the divine nature and human nature)…the angel also told her about Elizabeth…vs. 1:36-38 and John as the forerunner…vs. 1:13-17.

We see Mary’s first response in Luke 1:38

·      She accepted God’s plan and chose to willingly participate.

This is where it all begins. We have to be willing to participate. We can get there like Mary or like Jonah but God will work to get us on board.

 

Luke 1:39-40

Mary went to see about the work God had done in the life of her cousin Elizabeth. This was no light task… the travel would be hard and would have taken several days.  Mary was in Nazareth in the region of Galilee, which is in northern part of Israel. Elizabeth was down south in Judah probably in the west hills of Jerusalem. The trip would have been a sacrifice for Mary, but that was her response.

Mary- Vs. 41-45

We see in verse 45 what moved Mary to respond…she believed what had been spoken to her.  Her faith in God’s word and God’s plan moved her to act. I find it challenging to really believe that God’s plan for my life is really real but knowing that it is, how could I do anything else?

We must believe God and trust His will for our life, participating in the way He wants to use us in His story.

 

Elizabeth- Vs. 41

Elizabeth knew that her son was the forerunner to prepare the way of the Messiah and this “leap” in her womb apparently signaled to her that Mary was with this child. They both were “filled with the Holy Spirit” which is to say she was in step with God’s revelation. This was God’s way of confirming the prophecy for Mary and Elizabeth.

Vs. 42

Elizabeth spoke blessing upon Mary and Jesus. “Blessed” literally means “well spoken of.” She proclaimed the blessing it would be to carry Jesus and how they both would be well spoken of by others.

We should celebrate the way God uses others in the outworking of His plan. Not only must I trust God’s plan for my life I should trust and celebrate God’s plan in other people’s lives as well. We are all working together to participate in what God is doing. It’s a community effort and I should better view myself, and my role, within the community of believers.

Vs. 43

Can you hear the sound of amazement and humility in her voice? She is humbled just to be in the presence of Jesus in the womb of his mother. She is amazed that she is a person that gets to participate in God’s story as bearing the forerunner.

Vs. 44

We see her confirmation. To be in the presence of Mary and Jesus who was in her womb led her to respond with joy, blessing, humility, amazement, and confirmation. How 

Vs. 46-50

Mary praised God for the outworking of His plan and her participation. The praise is filled with amazement. She called God my Savior showing an intimate acquaintance with Him. She spoke of His faithfulness (v. 48), power (v. 49), holiness (v. 49), and mercy (v. 50). Realize this would also bring persecution, she didn’t know how Joseph would react, she didn’t know what this meant for her life but she was excited to be a part of God’s work.

Vs. 50-56

Mary praised God for His special favor on Israel (v. 51-55). Through the Child that she was to bear, God was being merciful to Abraham and his descendants. Mary was aware that the birth of her Child was a fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham and his people. Israel and all the nations of the world will be blessed with the promised Savior of Israel.

Vs. 56

Mary probably stayed for the birth of John before returning to Nazareth.

 

Are you still amazed and living in response to who Jesus is?

My prayer is that we would be refreshed to the reality that as believers we can live in the presence of God, that He wants to use us in His story, and that our lives would be marked by amazement and faithfulness as we participate in the outworking of His plan.

 

Amazed with who He is, humbled to participate in His story,

 my life as a living sacrifice to Him.

 

 

Israel Day Five- Jesus and the Pagans

We began our day at Gamla. The Zealots were stationed here during the time of Jesus. It was a beautiful mountain range and a great hike. The first things we noticed were the Eagles. In Hebrew the eagle is called, Nesherim, and we saw “the shadow of his wings” as the Griffen Voucher flew overhead. It was a beautiful picture of the protection of God.

The Zealots were religious Jews who were extreme in the practice of devotion to God. They could be 

considered terrorists as they used a curved knife to kill off their Roman enemies. Although Jesus was the most zealous person in all of history He was not a Zealot. He used love and personal sacrifice rather than a knife and torture to combat His enemies.  It was a great place to learn of the love of Christ and to be inspired to live extreme lives for God.

This was also a place we saw the remains of a first century ritual bath and synagogue. We are 99% sure Jesusread and taught in what remains today. We stood in the bath, the place one washed before reading from the day’s assigned text. We saw the Moses Seat, the place the reader of the day sat. We stood on the Bema Stone, the place where Jesus would have stood as He read the assigned reading from the text. 

It was incredible to be there, to stand where Jesus stood, the read what He possibly read in the same exact place He did. It was an experience you can only have in that spot in the world and God blessed us with the experience. It was incredible! 

We spent the rest of the day at incredibly sad sites. Places of Paganism and rebellion of God. Places of sin and torture. Places of sexual immorality of the worst kind. Places of sinful and unnecessary murder sacrifices. It was a sick feeling to be there, to see the place where these things took place. However, even this evil enhances the beauty of God, the truth of Christ, and the justice of our Father.

Caesarea Philippi was in the northern part of Israel and borders Syria and Lebanon. The Paganism practiced here is called Pan worship and this was the most pagan place in all of Israel. In was in the midst of this sin referred to as the “gates of Hades” by Christ that Jesus visited this city, stood with His disciples, as asked, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-20).

We are all faced with this question as we stand in the place of sin. As we live in the world we must continually ask ourselves, “Who do you say Jesus is?” Who He is to you will determine how you live your life. If it doesn’t I ask you the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?” My friends, He must be more than a good thought, He must be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This should impact our lives because it us upon this confession that Christ is building His Church. Be a builder for Christ!Our last stop was Dan, practically speaking this is the northern most city in Israel. This city was also full of Paganism. Here is where the Tribe of Dan was not satisfied with their land and compromised by setting up altars of worship to others Gods (Judges 18). To be honest, after Caesarea Philippi it was hard to take more teaching on paganism.  It made me wonder how numb I am to subtle compromises to pagan thought in our culture, it’s probably more than I realize. It made me want to study the text more practically and examine my life. I love to study for doctrine and theology but never want to compromise the practical. We have to believe right to live right but sometimes I focus more on the former. I want the practice of my life to reflect the text.

It was a heavy day in northern Galilee. 

As I stand on the text in the face of secular pagan culture and say to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God and I will live as a builder of Your Church.” Amen?

Colossians: Pleasing God

Colossians- The Preeminence of Jesus Christ

Lesson Three: Three Truths about Pleasing God- Vs. 1:9-14

Pleasing God is knowing His will (1:9)

Vs. 9a

“For this reason”

Paul was thankful for their clear understanding of the gospel and them living out their faith in love. Since the gospel was bearing these fruits Paul always prayed for them.

We too should pray and be thankful for other believers, especially those who are living out their faith in love.

Vs. 9b

Paul asked that they would be “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”

This is important because the false teachers were spreading all kinds of false information about spiritual growth. He wanted them to grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding according to the will of God, not the will of man. We will see this more in chapter 2.

Knowledge of God’s will is simply knowing God’s truth.

Wisdom is the application of this knowledge. This is the spiritual understanding we need. Finding God’s will comes through the knowledge of God but to “be filled” with God’s will refers to the application of that knowledge.

Paul’s prayer, as well as God’s will, is that we would live out the truths of scripture. God’s will is not some elusive hidden thing.  God’s will refers to people’s salvation and sanctification. If you are a believer living out the truths of scripture you have found the will of God and have “spiritual wisdom and understanding.” As Prof. Hendricks used to say, “God’s will is found in God’s word!”

Pleasing God is walking in His will (1:10-11)

Vs. 10-11

“walk worthy of the Lord”

This refers to us living our lives as a representative of Jesus Christ.  Remember that Paul thanked them for living as people of faith in Christ. Now he is praying that they would continue. He wanted them to…

“please Him in all respects”

This should be our goal, to fully please God with our lives. That God would look at our lives and be fully pleased with what He sees and how He is reflected to the world through us.

But how do we do this exactly? How do we live lives pleasing to God?

1.    Be fruitful in every good work.

God is pleased when the fruit of good works characterizes our lives because this is why we were saved (created in Christ- Ephesians 2:10).

2.    Increase in the knowledge of God

The knowledge that God wants us to know about Him has been revealed in the scripture. We need to know the scripture to obtain the knowledge of God. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

3.    Be strengthened by the glorious power of God

We cannot fully please God in our own strength. We must rely on the strength He provides. (Gal. 5:16)

4.    Being patient and enduring with joy

Life is often difficult. We often have no idea of God’s direction for our future. We must trust God and endure this time with patience.

In Romans 8:28 Paul writes, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God...” 

God desires what is good for us and our spiritual maturity. Whatever it is that we are going through, whatever decision you are trying to make, whatever concern you are holding onto…you must trust God and patently endure. It’s not easy and Paul doesn’t infer that it is. That’s why he says to “endure.” 

The blessing is that if we will rely on the “glorious power” of God we can live content and with patience experiencing the joy God intends for us. This is when we are being “fully pleasing” to God.

Pleasing God is being grateful for salvation (1:12-14)

Vs. 12

“giving thanks”

Paul prays that the believers here in Colossae are thankful to God for their salvation. He says that these believers have been…

·      Qualified to be partakers of the inheritance (eternal life and rewards)

·      Will eternally be with other saints in the Light (presence of God or the sphere of where God is – cf. 1 Jn. 1)

·      Delivered from the power of darkness

·      Transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son

·      Received redemption, the forgiveness of sins 

If you cant show thankfulness for all of this than you just cannot show thankfulness. These are some of the greatest truths and promises found in scripture!

How do we show this thankfulness to God?

Keep the context:

1.    Know God’s will by studying and learning the scripture

2.    Walk in God’s will by living out these truths

3.    Be fruitful in every good work

4.    Increase in the knowledge of God

5.    Be strengthened by the glorious power of God

6.    Be patient and endure with joy

7.    Live your life as a response of thankfulness to God for everything you have in Christ!