Colossians 1:9-14 preaching notes

Faith in Christ and Love for the Saints (series in Colossians)

preaching draft/notes for May 24, 2020

Scripture Readings: Matthew 6:5-15 and Colossians 1:9-14

"Strengthened in Prayer"

Introduction: Fore-edge painting

·         Fore-edge painting is an obscure art form that few people have seen. The paintings are hidden on the fore-edges of gilded pages. They are only visible when fanned or ruffled. Sometimes, the Christian life is like that. There is a lot more than the eye can see on the outside.

·         Now you see it; now you don't. We're not talking about a magic trick, but rather a form of artwork called fore-edge painting.  The art is applied to the edge of the margin of the individual pages and not to the actual fore-edge of the book itself (so named to differentiate it from the spine edge). When the book is closed, you don't see the image because it's hidden by the gold leaf on the actual page edges. But when the book is spread open, the surprisingly beautiful artwork appears.

·         Painting on the edge of the pages was under way by the 16th century, and the paintings were usually portraits which one could easily see when the covers of the book were closed. But, in the 17th century in England "Samuel Mearne, a bookbinder to the royal family, developed the art of the 'disappearing painting' on the fore-edge of a book." To see these paintings -- the pages of the book must be fanned.

There is more to Christians than meets the eye.  After all, how much of the Spiritual world can be discerned without it being revealed to us? 

            Let's go to our text where the apostle Paul tells the Colossian Christians that he and his coworkers have noticed their faith. Unlike some of the other churches to which Paul wrote, he was not involved in the founding of the Colossian congregation. In fact, according to 2:1, he's never seen the believers there "face to face." What he knows of them is from a report by Epaphras, the Christian who established the church, "and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit" (v. 8). Epaphras makes visible what Paul would not have otherwise been able to see in them.

Teaching/learning about prayer, in general: Matthew 6

·         Did you ever think that an effective prayer had to be long and loud and very spiritual sounding? When did you first realize that you could talk with God just as we talk with other people, and normal tones and ordinary issues. Did you ever see someone pray, head lifted up and eyes open - and then think to yourself, that's not a prayer? ...you are supposed to close your eyes if you're going to pray. Every child has tattled on their sibling for having their eyes open in a prayer... which you could only know if you yourself had your eyes open during prayer... Right?! We should maybe even fold our hands. But prayer is not answered because we get on our knees and use eloquent language or because our eyes are open or shut. Prayers are answered because of our faith in God who is good to us. So...

5"...when you pray, do not be like the

hypocrites, for they love to pray standing

in the synagogues and on the street

corners to be seen by men. I tell you the

truth, they have received their reward in full.

6But when you pray, go into your room,

close the door and pray to your Father,

who is unseen. Then your Father, who

sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7And when you pray, do not keep on

babbling like pagans, for they think they

will be heard because of their many words.

8Do not be like them, for your Father

knows what you need before you ask him.

·         What do you want to accomplish in prayer? Have other people think you are pious or devout... OK then - you should make sure they see you praying and make it look earnest!  And give them time to know how good you are at it - use a lot of words... the more splendiferous your vocabulary - the more self-aggrandizing... Best not to mock God.

Learning from Paul's thanksgiving for and blessing of the Colossians

·         EPISTLE: 1) a poem or other literary work in the form of a letter or series of letters, 2) a book of the New Testament in the form of a letter from an Apostle.

·         In several of his epistles, Paul includes an apostolic prayer for those who read his letters. You can find one here in Colossians 1:9-14, and also in Ephesians 1:17-19 and 3:16-19, and in Philippians 1:9-11 (see the side bar), among other places. Each one is phenomenal in its own way, and this one is no exception. As we learned last week, letters from that time period follow a certain convention/format. It begins with a salutation where the author of the letter introduces themself and greets the person to whom it is written. Then before they get to the body of the letter and its final greeting and farewell (the third and fourth/last part of a letter), they say a prayer or give a blessing (the second part). Those blessings are Paul's prayers. We have one here in Colossians. It is a recognizable part of Paul's writings.

·         Here is an exercise for us that I know others have done: Think about the nature of your prayer - what it typically sounds like. Now compare your prayers to Jesus' prayers. But also compare your prayers to Paul's prayers. This is in part what we're doing today from Colossians, chapter 1:9-14.

·         When studying Paul's prayers, it is very hard to find an example where Paul asks God to remove a person's problems. Instead, he prays that God would empower them to endure whatever they had to face and to keep a good attitude in the middle of it. Most of us would not be happy if we were going through difficult times and our spiritual leader would not pray for our problems to go away. No one would like it if I said to them, "I'm not going to pray for your problems to go away. No, I'm not praying for that at all. But I will pray for you to get through them and that you will keep your faith strong and continue to love others." We would probably say, "no thanks. I really would just prefer a problem-go-away prayer. I want to be free from my problems." Paul did not pray that way as often as one might think.

But, like fore-edge painting, some things are only visible when ruffled. Sometimes, the Christian life is like that. There is a lot more than the eye can see on the outside.  In the middle of our problems (that Paul neglects pray away), is revealed what we are made of... and he wants us to be FULL of such things - so he prays for just that.  Paul gives thanks and prays for what is within, what needs to be within... let's look within.

Full of knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom...

verse 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom.

·         Let me ask you a question - one that you are sick of: do we need to wear a mask or not?  Do we really need to be social distancing?  Is the Corona virus a threat to us here in Chaves County?  Have we already all been exposed?  At what point in the End-Times are we?

·         We sure do need and have been seeking wisdom and understanding big-time!

·         We are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 is one of the most dramatic and far reaching events in world history thanks to the Internet and global communications. The world as we knew it stopped! Borders closed, travel was suspended, schools and businesses closed, soccer leagues, the NFL, MLB, the Final Four, concerts, eating out, vacations, and church services all came to a screeching halt. We’ve been “sheltering in place” and listening to pundits explain death ratios, the spread of the virus, and how the US and global economies have plummeted.

·         From a temporal perspective, you might think it can’t get a whole lot worse than this. Our 24-hour news cycle daily tabulates the pandemic’s carnage—job losses, retirements evaporating, investments faltering, businesses closing, death and sickness of loved ones, and the emotional and relational fallout fueled by fear and panic.  On the street, others think, what threat?! 

·         It would be callous to minimize any of the current challenges and personal tragedy that this pandemic has thrust across the world. But what if there’s another perspective, another narrative that measures and evaluates things through the lens of eternity rather than simply time? (Chip Ingram)

·         What if there is, in fact, a God who is personal and created all that there is, who loves all people deeply and longs to have a personal and eternal relationship with them? What if his love has extended to such a degree that God the Son would come and die to procure forgiveness and eternal life for whosoever would turn from their selfish independence and self-focused idols to believe in him … Jesus?

·         And what if violence, corruption, injustice, greed, power-mongering , immorality, and neglect of the poor and marginalized became so great all across the world (even among those who claim to be Jesus followers) that he allowed this evil virus to push the global PAUSE button that caused the world to stop?

·         What if, from heaven’s perspective, this is a severe mercy—a divine global intervention to get us to RESET, examine ourselves, look up, forsake wickedness, repent of our greed and self-focus, address injustice, help the weak, love the poor, forgive our enemies, and walk in righteousness?

·         What are we to think? (I'm not saying the virus is judgment, but for sure it is opportunity.)

·         We need to be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all spiritual wisdom!  Thank you Colossians... the time for God's Word is now... in every generation it is, now.

Why does he pray for these things?  His answer to that question

·         My first thought is because we need it.  My second thought is because we need it.  My third thought is because we need it...

·         Paul says, verse 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way...

·         "Live a life worthy of the Lord" and "please him" are two very similar things - don't you think? 

·         As we use Paul's prayers to reflect upon our own prayer tendencies... we are to "please him." (as opposed to ourselves)

·         Do we usually approach God in prayer with a list of things?  OUR list of things for God to do... or that we want from God... OUR "To-Do" list for God, instead of from God. "God, change my spouse," or this person (I shall not name). "God, I need..."

·         How self-centered are our prayers?  More of God and less of me... I mean that literally and figuratively and Spiritually...  Asking for wisdom and understanding, is essentially the same as asking for more of God. Me asking for more of God of course brings wisdom and understanding! I don't need to ask for anything, on a list, my list... I just need to know what is on God's list. God, what pleases you? What do you want for me? What do you want from me? What do you have planned? What can I offer to you?

·         The reason asking for more of God is so important is that everything we need is found in him.  We are complete in him (Colossians 2:10).  In him we everything we need to live a Godly life (2 Peter 1:3).  Our peace is in him, our joy is in him, and our strength is in him...

·         illustration about pleasing others...instead of God

Paul lists four ways that are crucial for pleasing God...

verses 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: ¶bearing fruit in every good work, ·growing in the knowledge of God, ¸11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and ¹joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father...

¶bearing fruit in every good work

·         An abundant harvest of good fruit reveals a tree is healthy. An abundant harvest of good works reveals the spiritual health of a Christian. The good news of the forgiveness of sins and the promise of an inheritance from God should change our lives. Unfortunately, Christians do not always put the truth they believe into practice. Margaret J. Dawn draws from Neil postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death and argues, "the television has habituated its watchers to a low information–action ratio, that people are accustomed to learning good ideas (even from Church), and then doing nothing about them. We learn enough to talk about it intelligently but never follow through on action. Think about this - but not for very long -- what if the Preacher does not practice what he preaches?  Super disappointing isn't it?  (And you should know.) And think of the Matthew 6 chapter where Jesus talks about prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor - and the hypocrisy of pleasing men but not God.  Isn't that exactly what Paul is talking about as well?!

·         Sometimes preachers feel they have done their job by merely presenting the information or the need. Paul does not praise the Colossians simply because they have learned the truth from Epaphras, but because their faith has led to concrete results. The test of faith is whether it makes any difference in the way we believe and treat others.

·growing in the knowledge of God

·         You may not agree with this... but it is worth thinking about... I'm still thinking about it myself... "Every spiritual crisis derives from a failure to know God" (David E. Garland). When people reject knowledge of God, the catalog of social ills listed in Romans 1:28-32 are the inevitable result. (listen for the shared language and ideas that relate to what we are talking about...)

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

·         Retaining the knowledge of God (and putting it into practice), pleases God. This being true, you also know generally what does not please God as well.

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

·         Note the relationship of "power" to having endurance and patience.

·         "Strengthened with all power according to his glorious might" - it is God's might that must increase... not our own in order for us to have great endurance and patience. 

·         Think of your own prayer habits - oh how often I ask God for more... and on some level I am asking God for more of me... I need strength! I want to be stronger... I, I, I, I... when I am not careful, I ask God to increase MY strength instead of his strength in me. 

·         And did you notice that Paul did not name or ask for the removal of whatever circumstance requires such endurance/patience (like we talked about before).  Worst friend ever that does not pray for your problems to go away but instead that you endure and have patience... hahaha...

·         Henri Nouwen writes, "the word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty. Godly/patient people dare to stay where they are."  Wow! I can imagine writing that quote in my own words but using the language of our current world -- "shelter in place" as some sort of synonym for "patience" and staying in the moment - believing it offers a front row seat to something that God is doing!

·         Ask for more of God, instead of more of yourself

¹and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father...

·         For sure - joyfully giving thanks pleases God. Of course it does. 

·         I'm going to speak to the whole of verses 12 and 13...

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

·         Note that what Paul names as the nature of God that we joyfully give thanks for and that the gifts of God that we give thanks for, etc., are all listed in the past tense. It does not say that God will rescue/qualify us or deliver and bring us, but that he already has.  He has already brought us out of darkness.  In Christ, God has accomplished many spiritual realities for us. 

·         Spiritual realities are accomplished in the heavenly/spiritual realms.  When we don't feel or see them in the natural world, we question their reality. When we question, we begin to pray for circumstances/gifts that we have already been granted.  That is not living in faith. Part of spiritual maturity is learning to accept and to claim and to receive what God has done for us instead of continually feeling we are lacking something God has already promised us.  Even if we do not see it or have not yet experienced it - it still belongs to us. 

·         In Luke 10:19, Jesus says (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition),

¹⁹ Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

·         Notice that this statement, too, is in the past tense. He does not say, I'll give you power and authority, but I have given it to you. Just think about how different your life would be if you would believe and say, I have power. I have authority. These promises and others like them are good ones to declare or speak aloud. This helps remind you of what is already yours in Christ. (Joyce Meyers)

·         Luke 10:19 does not say that nothing will come against us; however, it indicates that nothing has the ability to permanently harm us. It's important to realize that while the enemy does have power, he does not have authority. Jesus stripped him of his authority at the cross (Colossians 2:14-15). When he does have authority over us, it is usually because we have given it to him through unbelief. We have God-given authority and power over the enemy, when (only when) we are in Christ. We need to stop thinking thoughts of weakness and start thinking thoughts of strength and power. We don't lack for anything if we are in Christ. We are weak in ourselves, but we are powerful in Christ. Remember Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Don't miss this beautiful language...

"...qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son..."

·         The image here is powerful and suggestive. There are two kingdoms: light and darkness, flesh and spirit, good and evil. We have been rescued from the darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. If Paul's terminology seems archaic, "kingdoms," or if his understanding of the system of angelic powers that rule in the elements seems outdated, the truth of his message is not less relevant, or the power of the promised deliverance any less needed.

·         We are now residents of the new kingdom; it is not something that is ours in some distance distant future. We have already been removed from a world which is subject to evil forces into a realm in which Christ is the King. He is King and rules over his Kingdom. He is Lord, and he alone has ultimate authority over us. With what confidence we may live if we appropriate this truth experientially. No darkness can overcome us, no power can overwhelm us, no experience can completely devastate us. Sin cannot hold sway in our lives. We belong to Christ. His is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen. We have been qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

            How powerful it would be and what it would mean to the lives of the people around you if you prayed this kind of (Paul) prayer, prayed these things regularly and to experience God's answers. 

Conclusion

(remember fore-edge painting -) THIS IS WHAT IS IN US!  Ruffle the pages and this is what you see in a Christian... (and if not - this is what we pray for!)

(an example of authenticity...)

·         Fred Rogers, the late Presbyterian minister who used to play children's TV host Mister Rogers on public television, once explained to a reporter: "I'm not a character on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. What I do in the studio is part of my real life, and the person on camera is the real me." "I have been blessed, so deeply blessed," he went on, "to be able to give one honest human being to kids. I felt that was my calling."

·         What are you made of when the pages get ruffled? What picture of Christianity is being presented in these present times?

hmmm... I may add to this conclusion

Bulletin pieces for

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2020

Words of Greeting —Based on Psalm 121

One: I lift up my eyes to the mountains.

     From where does my help come?

All: Help comes from the Lord,

     who made heaven and earth.

     He will not let our feet stumble.

     Indeed, the One who watches over Israel

     will never slumber nor sleep.

One: Who is our Protector?

All: God is our Protector;

     God is our shade at our right hand.

One: From what will God protect us?

All: The sun will not harm us by day,

     nor the moon by night.

     God will protect us from all evil;

     He will watch over our life.

One: For how long will God protect us?

All: The Lord will watch over our going out and our coming in... from now to eternity.

One: Let us, then, worship God who is our help and our protection.

Unison Prayer of Confession

Forgive us, Lord, for those times that we have stopped praying. We have not lived a life worthy of you. We have run short of energy because we have not opened ourselves up to your empowerment. We wander aimlessly because we have not sought your will diligently. We mumble amongst ourselves

instead of speaking a clear message to the world. Forgive us. Stir us. Reform us to be a Church powered by love, willing to speak for what is right, act for what is just, and seek the healing of your whole creation.  (Silent Prayer and Reflection)

Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 103:8, 10-12

One: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Friends, believe the good news of the Gospel!

All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.