Colossians
An Apostolic Prayer
"Live a life worthy of the Lord"
Chapter 1 verses 9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not
ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the
knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his
glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints
in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the
kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
"For this reason..."
Clue to look at what was said before
In the first verses Paul talks about giving thanks to God for them
and lists their blessings and potential in Christ
Hope laid up for them in heaven
Hope is bearing fruit
in the world
in them from their hearing and since they have "truly
comprehended the Grace of God
"we have not ceased praying for you"
Paul sees God as the initiator of whatever might happen for the
church in Colossae.
As the people read this they hear from the beginning that God is at
work among and through them.
In these words they also see that they are not alone. They are a part
of something bigger and they belong to the whole church.
"asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding"
For Paul understanding God’s will involves:
Recognizing how Christ is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive
purposes,
how God’s salvation is open to all people,
and how God intends for Christians to live in whatever situation they
find themselves.
"so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing
to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God"
- So That…(for this reason, or in order that)
- you may lead lives worthy of the Lord
there are implications for how we live when we understand the will of
God
as you bear fruit in every good work
there is purpose in how we live and the difference it makes. Our
doing good is not the fruit, it bears fruit
as you grow in the knowledge of God
there is no need to wait
the living may also produce the growing
"May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from
his glorious power"
We live this life not based in our own strength, but rooted and
nourished in the glorious power of God.
The Spirit is at work in us and we call upon that Spirit
to sustain and strengthen us for living out our lives faithfully.
"may you be prepared to endure everything with
patience"
There is a suggestion here that there will be things to be
endured
Living and being in Christ does not mean
the absence of struggle
and struggle does not mean the absence of
faith
current struggle may very well be
preparing us for what is to come
"while joyfully giving thanks to the Father"
There is trust here
We endure the difficulties trusting that God is with us
We respond to life and walk through life
Joyfully giving thanks to God
Now we look at some of the truths of this God whom we
joyfully thank
"who has"
"enabled you to share in the inheritance of the
saints in the light."
We are a part of something bigger and we are heirs
we have a place among the saints of God
- we give joyful thanks, knowing who and whose we are
"rescued us from the power of darkness"
note this is past tense. We have been rescued.
"transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,"
We are under a new authority, the authority of
Christ
"in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of
sins"
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