Jesus Our Confidence Colossians 1 verses 1 to 14

Introduction

I think everyone loves a quote from Sir Winston Churchill. For example, there is the famous story of his encounter Lady Astor who reportedly said, ‘Sir, if you were my husband I would put poison in your drink.’ To which Churchill replied with typical wit, ‘Dear, if I were your husband I would drink it!’.

Churchill is more fondly remembered for leading Britain through World War II with his inspirational speeches and dogged determination. After the WWII he was asked to address a group of young men at Harrow School. As he approached the platform these young men waited with great anticipation until he uttered these famous words:

Young gentlemen, never give up. Never give up. Never give up! Never! Never! Never!

As we come to God’s Word today, we could think of Colossians as Paul’s letter to these Believers in Colossae calling them to ‘Never give up’ following Jesus. Paul writes this letter from his prison in Rome to a church that he has never visited, but about which he has heard fantastic reports from their leader and founder, Epaphras.

Paul writes the letter both to encourage the church in their maturity and to alert them to the dangers of false teachers undermining their stability. We see these twin concerns in the opening verses of Chapter 1 which can be understood this way:

Thanksgiving for Gospel Fruit (verses 3 to 8)

Prayer for continued Gospel Growth (verses 9 to 14)

Paul tells the Colossians that he is giving thanks for how God has been at work in them. Having heard about the Colossians, Paul is greatly encouraged because all the signs point to their faith in Jesus being genuine. Paul’s prayer moves naturally to asking God- he recognises that Epaphras’ report is just the beginning- his desire is their maturity and stability in the faith.

As we study Paul’s prayer, we learn that growing in the Christian life is about understanding and relying on what God has done for us in Christ and allowing this to impact our daily living. So, lets us turn and consider…

Thanksgiving for Gospel Fruit

Paul is neither distant nor disinterested when it comes to the Believers in Colossae. In fact, in verses 3 to 8, we see that the Colossians have brought him great delight and encouragement. In these verses we see Paul give thanks to God, in prayer, for what He had done in Colossae through the Gospel.

In verse 3 we learn that Paul prays frequently and regularly for his readers. Paul is a pastor of Christ’s Church who cares deeply for the Believers. When he hears about the Colossian Believers he is filled with thanksgiving; in verses 4 and 5 we read:

[We give thanks to God…] ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel…

Paul explains exactly why he gives thanks for the Colossians: they are exhibiting the three key Christian virtues of faith, hope and love; they were growing in grace and producing Gospel fruit.

It is worth looking at each of these three virtues. As Paul gives thanks for each of these, we learn about the nature of the Colossians growth in grace. Each one teaches us what the Gospel will produce in our lives- the evidence that we really are in Christ and living for Him.

Firstly, there is ‘…your faith in Christ Jesus…’.

In verse 4 we learn that personal confidence and trust in Christ is the essential component for the Christian. From start to finish the disciple’s journey is to be centred on receiving God’s grace in Christ and trusting in Him for all of life.

Paul was not simply excited because new converts had been added to their numbers. Instead, Paul had heard that these Believers had a living faith- they were faithful followers of Jesus who were trusting in Him as they lived for Him. They had received Christ as Saviour from sin and were now living for Him as their Lord.

Their confidence, for all of life, was now in Christ and His finished work at the Cross. Their life was now in Christ and living for Him. Theirs was no mere intellectual excitement about a novel idea; their faith was lived out for Christ and in Christ.

And so, secondly, there is ‘…the love you have for all God’s people…’.

Their new allegiance to Christ inspired service for their new Brothers and Sisters in Christ. As we see in verse 8, the Holy Spirit is the source of all Christian love. This love was not a matter of hollow sentimentality but effort and costly commitment – it is a sacrificial love. More than that, it was indiscriminate- it is ‘…for all God’s people…’.

 

 

Perhaps this indiscriminate love is the most compelling aspect of Epaphras’ report. It is natural to love those we share things in common with; but genuine love for those who are different from us (be they Christian or not) points to a work of God’s grace in Christ. By loving all God’s People, the Colossians are displaying a genuine work of God in their lives. And this work had the most wonderful foundation: Christian hope.

So, finally, there is ‘…the hope stored up for you in heaven…’.

Epaphras’ report emphasises that the Colossians are a truly future-focused people because they trusted in what God, in Christ, had committed to do for them in the future. But, as their practical love proves, their faith did not ignore present trials and challenges. It was simply that their confidence in Christ gave them what they needed to persevere.

The reason Believers can endure through hardship is that Christian hope is not wishful thinking. The assurance of future glory has a present application for Believers. The basis of Christian living is that this world is not the end. There is a life after this where deeds done will be rewarded- Christians look forward to eternal glory where the totality of God’s blessing awaits them.

In verses 6 and 7 we see the Colossians’ hope was the result of the Gospel being proclaimed- they heard the true Word about God’s grace to His People. The message they heard was not the result of human imagination but of divine revelation- it was a true and living word that focused on Christ and His finished work.

 

 

The Colossian Christians understood it and knew it to be true. That is why they hoped for it. They were not the only ones. People were embracing this gospel ‘…in the whole world…’, and this was ‘…bearing fruit and growing…’ in lives of Christian love and faith. That is all evidence of the Gospel’s truth and power- in Christ God is transforming not just these Believers in Colossae but His People in every place. No wonder Paul is thrilled and grateful.

In verses 3 to 8 Paul gives thanks to God for the Colossian’s faith in Christ and love for all God’s People, declaring this is rooted in the hope they have stored up in heaven- all of this because they heard the message of the Gospel and received it as God’s truth. The Gospel is bearing fruit in the lives of these Believers, and it causes Paul to pray prayers of thanksgiving to the God who made it possible.

As Paul gives thanks, we are challenged to examine the reality of the faith and love springing from our hope. In other words, is the Gospel not just a message we have accepted as true but as the hope that provokes us to live a life of love and faith? Is Christ simply our Saviour from sin, or are we living fully for Him and trusting Him for every part of our lives?

We will continue to consider this as we turn to…

Prayer for continued Gospel Growth

In verse 9 we see that Paul’s prayer moves naturally from thanking God for His work among the Colossians to offering a prayer on their behalf. In verses 9 to 14 Paul is concerned that their genuine growth in grace would continue. He is overjoyed that they have chosen the right path but is concerned that they would continue in the path that leads to blessing and glory.

Paul’s desire is their maturity and stability in the faith as they keep focused solely what God has done for them in Christ. And so, he prays for…

A deepening knowledge that leads to worthy living

Paul has already given thanks that the Colossians have truly understood God’s grace in the Gospel; now, in verse 9, he prays that they may be filled with ‘…the knowledge of His will…’. This is not a one-off prayer but something he is committed to praying ‘continually’. The work of the Gospel can never be simply about making converts- it is about growing lifelong disciples who continually grow in ‘…the knowledge of [God’s] will…’.

But what exactly does ‘…the knowledge of His will…’ mean?

Is this primarily a matter of guidance, so that we discover what God wants from us in the decision we face? That is certainly how this verse is sometimes taken. Of course, it is right to seek God’s direction about work, marriage, schools etc. But Paul’s prayer here points to something deeper.

What Paul has in mind here is to know who God truly is and what it means to live as His People. Every true Believer must live in response to God’s revelation.

Paul’s prayer is that Believers may more deeply know who God is and what God has done in Christ- His great and gracious purpose for His whole creation. And that this deepening knowledge would not simply stay in the head but impact the heart and soul- that every thought and word and action would be saturated by Gospel truth.

Look again at verse 9:

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives…

The key word here is ‘wisdom’. Wisdom is about every Believer being empowered to discern the truth and make good decisions based on that truth. Put simply, wisdom is knowing how to live God’s Way in God’s world for God’s Glory.

This is an ability that is ‘spiritual’- the Spirit of God, the author of God’s Word, is the source of wisdom and understanding for Believers. As we negotiate our way through the maze of contemporary worldviews and opinions we must seek the Spirit’s guidance through the Word of God.

So we grow in grace as we studying God’s Word in private devotion or in public fellowship, seek God in prayer, and attend public worship. These ‘means of grace’ are not simply ‘things I need to do’ but the ways God has given to us so that we know Him better.

But we should note that this Spirit-given insight into the will of God, as vital as it is, is not an end in itself; in verse 10 we read:

…¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…

Here is a theme found consistently throughout God’s Word: transformed minds and hearts must produce a transformed way of life.

The God who has called us to be His, calls us to live a life that pleases Him. The grace of God, when properly received, will impact every aspect of our lives. There must be no part of life that is excluded from the call to please God and bear His image to the world- to know God and to show God in all things. God will be glorified in us as our lives point to His grace.

Paul prays that the Believers will have a deepening knowledge that leads to worthy living. He also prays they will be…

Empowered for patient perseverance

Remember Churchill’s words: Never give up! Likewise, Paul wants every Believer to keeping continuing in faith, love and hope until the thing hoped for has been attained. Look how Paul continues in verse 11:

… ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…

Living a life worthy of the Gospel is a high and difficult calling. But we are never abandoned to fight this battle alone. Just as the Spirit fills us with wisdom and understanding, so He gives strength to live for God.

Paul reminds Believers that, through the Spirit, God gives continuously what He requires- He strengthens with the greatest strength imaginable for the praise of His Glory. And notice what this strength produces: endurance and patience. One commentator has helpfully explained what this means in practice:

[Endurance] is what faith, hope and love bring to an apparently impossible situation, [patience] what they show an apparently impossible person.

God gives to His People all they need to please Him in every situation.

It doesn’t matter what the battle is- if we are in the middle of it, it is still tough. We feel alone. The future seems bleak. The pressure looks set only to increase. But this is precisely the moment to turn to the Lord (even if that is the last thing we feel like doing). It is all the more important to pray these things for others.

 

Paul knew that the Colossians had made the first steps of faith and so he prayed for them to carry on through to the end. He didn’t seek converts but disciples, and their perseverance was the surest sign of the Spirit’s work.

Paul prays that the Believers will have a deepening knowledge that leads to worthy living, and that they will be empowered for patient perseverance. Finally, we prays that they will have a…

Joyful gratitude for Gospel blessings

The third characteristic of those who walk in the will of God is joyful thanksgiving- heartfelt, genuine thankfulness that grows out of the experience of salvation. And so, in verses 12 to 14 we read:

¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Here Paul takes a step back to remind Believers of the foundation of their new life- it is the work of God in Christ to bring about the most wonderful of transformations. By grace and in Christ God has made a way for sinners to enjoy the spiritual privileges of God’s new covenant people.

Paul’s prayer is that Believers would be ever mindful of what God has done for them in Christ:

 

 

God has qualified them for an inheritance- He has taken the initiative to make His People fit for His Kingdom.

God has rescued Believers form darkness- He has delivered His People from Satan’s grasp.

God has brough Believers into the Son’s Kingdom- the price has been paid and forgiveness has been granted.

And Believers should continually thank God for these Gospel blessings- a salvation planned in eternity and purchased at great price and applied by grace.

It is important to understand that the spiritual growth Paul prays for comes from a deeper appreciation of what God has already done for Believers in Christ. This calls for overwhelmed gratitude to God. What Christ did for us in His first coming, ultimately at the Cross and resurrection, gives us full confidence that we are loved, accepted, and will be welcomed when He returns.

Conclusion

Today, as we leave this place and seek to live a life worthy of the Gospel, let us remember: Maturity and stability in the Christian life is about understanding and relying on what God has done for us in Christ and allowing this to impact our daily living. The grace of God that called us out of darkness empowers us to live as light in this world. Or, to quote from the hymn: Yet not I, but through Christ in me.