Many thanks to our worship team, our music team,
for leading us so well this morning as we have
lifted the name of the Lord. I invite you to
open your Bible with me to Colossians and the
first chapter as we continue our study of this
New Testament book, Colossians chapter 1, verses
9 through 10. I remember as a young man meeting
a missionary from Japan whose name was George.
I was an intern on a church staff at the same
time that George and his family were home from
their work in Japan on furlough. One of the things
that impressed me about George was the way that
he prayed. There were several of us who gathered
several times a week for prayer. And I remember
keenly till this day, thirty -some years later,
how intensely and how fervently he prayed and
how he longed to know the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You can tell a lot about a person
by the way that he prays. Prayer is a window
to the soul. In a unique way, prayer shows the
content of the heart. That doesn't mean that
the one who prays with the most flowery language
or for the longest span is necessarily the most
spiritual. I suppose we've all heard people pray
with some oratorical fanfare and wondered in
the end just who it was they were trying to impress.
But how a person addresses God and what he asks
for reflects something of his experience with
God. For the better we know God, the better we
will pray. Maybe it's for that reason that prayer
is intimidating to some people. For there are
some who are afraid ever to pray in front of
others. lest they be judged for their words,
I suppose. And I certainly have no desire to
contribute to this prayer phobia that some suffer
from. I remember on one occasion when a strong,
strapping, mature man was asked to pray in a
service. He was a leader in the church. And when
he was asked to pray, his face turned white.
I thought his eyes were going to roll back in
his head. And he absolutely froze. He was afraid
to pray in public. And I understand that we've
all been there some time or another. But after
all, isn't prayer really intended for God's ears
and God's evaluation and not people? And yet,
it is also true that our personal spiritual understanding
is inevitably exposed when we pray. The Apostle
Paul knew that, and he was willing to openly
share his heart to tell us about his prayer life.
We read something more of it in our text for
today in Colossians 1. where he says, for this
reason also, since the day we heard it, we have
not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you
may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so
that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
to please him in all respects, bearing fruit
in every good work and increasing in the knowledge
of God. The Apostle Paul shares his heart in
prayer in these verses. First he begins with
thanksgiving. We looked at that last week. Now
he continues with his petitions. Prayer, in its
essence, is directing our desires or our wishes
toward God. When the Apostle says we have not
ceased to pray for you." That's the word he uses.
It means to lift your heart to God and to give
to God the petitions that are heavy there. Prayer
is also the asking, and he uses that word. We
ask, he says, God. Prayer is the asking of a
superior by an inferior for what he needs. And
so we learn something very quickly about prayer
as Paul shares his heart. First we recognize
that God and only God is the source of the blessing
that we need. And that this God who is holy and
mighty and great that we have worshiped this
morning is a God who hears us. and who desires
deeply to answer our prayers. We also learn that
God is greater than we, that we are subordinate
and He is sovereign. And so however God answers
and when God answers is left to Him. Paul joins
with his prayer team to petition God. He says,
we've not ceased to pray for you. In other words,
their prayer was an intercessory prayer. It was
on behalf of others. That is the most unselfish
kind of prayer there is. It is one thing to pray
for ourselves and for those directly related
to us, but it's another thing to pray for others
that you've never met. And that was the case
with Paul. And notice the intensity of it. He
says, we've not ceased to pray for you. And he
says this in such a way that he shows his own
involvement in it and his own passion for them
as he prays. We as a church pray for one another
and we pray for others that we've never met.
May it be with the same sort of passion and intensity
that Paul exhibits here on behalf of the Colossians.
Now notice what he asked for. He says, here is
what I'm praying for you. First, he asked for
enlightenment of their hearts, in verse 9, and
then for the enrichment of their lifestyle. Let's
think first about the enlightenment of their
hearts. They had already understood the grace
of God, according to verse 6. That is, they had
come to personally experience God's grace in
the gospel. They had come to understand that
salvation is a gift from God, it's not something
we earn or work for, that God freely gives it
to us, that it is an act of grace and favor on
his part. Now having understood the grace of
God, Paul goes on to pray that they might also
know the will of God. He uses the same word,
understood and know are exactly the same word.
He says, I want you to have knowledge of God's
will. In other words, he wants them to have a
full, comprehensive, personal, intimate acquaintance
with God's will for their lives. I was surprised
to realize that every letter Paul wrote while
he was in prison in Rome, this first time, included
a prayer something like this. Go back with me
to Ephesians chapter 1 for a moment. This was
heavy on Paul's heart as he nears the end of
his ministry and really does not know as he writes
these words whether his ministry will continue.
This may be his last correspondence with these
churches and he prays in Ephesians chapter 1
Again, notice in verse 16, he doesn't cease to
pray for them, making mention of them in prayer.
Verse 17, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened. Turn over a few more pages to Philippians
chapter 1. For Paul wrote this letter to the
church in Philippi while he was in prison as
well. And look at verse 9. And this, I pray,
that your love may abound still more and more
in real knowledge and all discernment. so that
you may approve the things that are excellent."
Paul prays that they might come to have their
minds enlightened about God. And then turn the
other direction from Colossians to the little
book of Philemon, a personal letter written by
Paul to a friend of his over a certain issue.
But notice how he addresses Philemon in verse
6. He says, and I pray that the fellowship of
your faith may become effective through the knowledge
of every good thing which is in you for Christ's
sake. And so Paul prays frequently at this mature
point in his life that the saints of God may
be enlightened with regard to something. Now
we need this. Because so easily our minds become
clouded and confused. And the evil one is always
at work seeking to confuse us. He is always seeking
to darken our minds so that we don't understand
God. And so Paul prays that we may be enlightened.
Now in Colossians he specifically prays that
they may be filled with the knowledge of God's
will. What does he mean by God's will? It's a
comprehensive term, the will of God. Let me say
briefly that when we speak of the will of God
it means what God does of his own good pleasure.
It is what God purposes to do. That is his will.
And in conjunction with that, God's will embraces
what we should do in carrying out his pleasure
or his divine purpose. And so when Paul prays
that they may understand and be enlightened in
their hearts, about God's will. He's praying,
I pray that you understand what God is doing
in the world and what your part in that is. What
an amazing thing to pray. Have you prayed that
for yourself? For this church? For your student
body? For that Bible study group you're in? Paul
tells us here how to pray for one another. He
says, pray that you may be enlightened, that
you may understand, that you may have knowledge
of God's will, what He's doing in the world,
and where you plug in to what God is doing. To
me, that's a very exciting way to pray. He asked
God that they might be filled with this knowledge.
Notice that? He doesn't ask that they might get
a little dose of it. He says, I pray that you'll
be filled with it. Now the word filled is a significant
word. It is in Colossians in particular as well
as in the New Testament. There are times when
the word fill that's used here means the filling
of a net with fish or the filling of a house
with the fragrance of perfume. Most of us are
familiar with this word in relation to the Holy
Spirit in Ephesians 5, 18, and be filled with
the Holy Spirit. In that context the same word
means to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, to
be empowered by the Holy Spirit. It's the picture
of a sail on a boat that blows out with the wind
and as the wind If it fills the sail, the boat
is empowered to move along the lake. Be filled
with the Holy Spirit, he says. And then the word
filled is sometimes used in the sense of being
completed or finished or filled up or brought
to the end of something. It is used this way,
for example, in Matthew chapter 1 verse 22, Matthew
2 verse 15. of Old Testament prophecies being
filled out to completion in New Testament events
surrounding Jesus Christ. Now how does Paul mean
this in Colossians 1, that you may be filled
with the knowledge of God? Well, undoubtedly
he means that they may be filled out to completion
with the knowledge of God. But I don't think
we can lose sight of the idea of being controlled
by the will of God, empowered by this knowledge
of God's will. So if we put that together, I
believe that what Paul is praying is that these
people and we may be so filled to completion
with a deep personal knowledge of God's will,
what He's doing in the world, and how we plug
in, that we will be motivated to serve Him. That's
what He's praying for. Now, how is this going
to take place? Well, Paul says in the context
of spiritual wisdom and understanding, You see,
we don't discover what God is doing in the world
and what our place in it is by reading the newspaper,
or by watching cartoons on television, or game
shows, or going to movies. I'm not saying those
things are necessarily bad. They may have a place
in one's life, but I'm saying that we don't come
to this kind of understanding by entertainment
and amusement. We don't come to this kind of
understanding by being passive in our Christian
lives. We come to this kind of understanding
by spiritual wisdom and understanding. Paul is
suggesting here that he wants them to be so connected
with God in a vital way that they will possess
spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding.
And he's saying is, I pray that you may have
a grasp on what you ought to be, what God wants
you to be, and then how to go about becoming
that, spiritual wisdom and understanding. And
we gain spiritual wisdom and understanding by
the work of the Spirit of God, working through
the Word of God in our spirit. That doesn't happen
playing Nintendo. It doesn't happen on the golf
course, although a lot of people talk about God
out on the golf course. This kind of spiritual
insight is grasped only as we spend time with
God himself in this book. And then he begins
to show us in the inner person, what he's about
in the world, what he's doing. And he lays upon
our heart how we fit into that picture. Oh, that
we too may be filled with this knowledge of God.
Now, Paul doesn't ask this so that they might
get a big head. He has a very practical purpose
in asking for this first request, it ties right
into the second request. That they might be also
behaving in such a way that the Lord is honored.
He puts it this way, so that you may walk in
a manner worthy of the Lord. He prays that their
experience with God and the Word will be so real
and so vital that it will produce an understanding
of what God is doing in the world and how they
fit into it. And as a result of gaining that
insight, they will then begin living in a way
that honors Jesus Christ. And so we move to the
second of his requests, the enrichment of their
lifestyle. The purpose of knowing the will of
God is that we might bring about change in the
way that we live. When Paul uses the word walk,
it's a word that means to walk about. And the
Greeks used it as the outward expression of a
person's life, his inner life. And so his walk
was his behavior, his conduct. The King James
puts it, his conversation. but it's the outward
expression of what one is on the inside. And
so he prays that their walk, this expression,
may change, may be transformed and enriched by
the power of God. He prays that there may be
an improvement of attitudes and actions that
will signal a vital relationship to God in them.
Now, Paul prays for this in a number of places
in the New Testament. He writes about it. For
example, in the book of Titus, he writes to a
specific group in the church, slaves, who had
been converted. And he says, serve your masters
in this particular way. Because if you do, you
will be so different. others will notice, and
it will adorn the doctrine of God. The word adorn
is where we get our word for cosmetics. Now Paul
isn't thinking superficially, but what he's thinking
about is making something attractive. That's
the purpose of cosmetics, isn't it? It usually
works. He says, I pray that your lifestyle will
make the doctrine of God attractive to others.
It is sad, isn't it, when the lifestyle of Christians
turns others off instead? They get repulsed of
Christianity and of God. Rather, let our lifestyle
be so enriched by God that as Paul says here,
we will walk worthy of the Lord. Spiritual knowledge
can be dangerous. A little of it is dangerous.
Some people when they get a little bit of spiritual
knowledge or they get an insight into this or
that, or they latch on to a particular doctrine,
And they just sort of camp on it. And it almost
becomes divisive. People turn away from them
because all they can do is talk about that little
bit of knowledge they have. Spiritual knowledge
can be a dangerous thing. It can be divisive
in a church. It can be destructive in one's life.
As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8 .1, knowledge
puffs up. Love builds up. Spiritual knowledge
can be dangerous because it can lead us to have
a big head. It can puff us up. Paul doesn't want
that. He's not praying that they may have this
insight, this magnificent insight into the will
of God so that they will be puffed up, but so
they will live out the life of Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians chapter 4 he prays something very
similar. Let's look back there just because of
the significance of the words. He elaborates
a bit on this theme. He begins in verse 17 in
this paragraph by saying, don't walk anymore
like you used to. That is, don't let the outward
expression of your life be what it used to be
because you're different. If you're a Christian,
you're different on the inside. So don't walk
like the Gentiles, like the pagans anymore. Then
he says, he explains what they're like. And he
says earlier in the chapter, in verse one, how
they are to walk. He says, I entreat you to walk
in a manner worthy of the calling with which
you've been called. Now, what do you mean, Paul?
He elaborates. With humility. gentleness, patience,
showing forbearance to one another in love, being
diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. That helps us get a little
bit of a handle on what Paul is praying for.
He says, I want you to walk in a manner that
is worthy of the Lord, worthy of your calling.
Now that you have this insight, this understanding
that we're praying for, so that you see what
God is doing in the world and how you fit into
that, don't get the big head. Be humble and gentle,
forbearing with others. Be loving and patient.
Preserve unity. That's what the knowledge of
God's will brings as it enriches our lifestyle.
Going back to Colossians, he says that you may
walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please
him in all respects. In other words, to be willing
to do whatever the Lord asks us to do. If we're
going to do that, it's going to demand of us
the attitude of servanthood. Last week, we saw
a marvelous example of that in Epaphras, in his
faithful ministry, in his service as a slave
for Jesus Christ. That's the kind of a spirit
it takes if we're going to walk worthy of the
Lord and please Him in everything. It means,
Lord, whatever you say, I will do it. Lord, I'm
not setting any boundaries, saying, you can tell
me here what to do, but don't talk to me over
there. I'm not putting any limitations, Lord.
Whatever you say, I will do. In Philippians,
Paul thanks God for another fellow servant of
his whose name was Timothy, and you remember
Timothy as part of his prayer circle in Colossians.
And listen to what he says about Timothy. Just
listen to these words. I have no one else of
kindred spirit who will genuinely care or be
concerned for your welfare. For they all seek
after their own interests and not those of Jesus
Christ. That last verse just seems to describe
so much the culture of Christianity in America
today. Everyone seeking after their own interests
and not those of Jesus Christ. If we're going
to please the Lord in all respects, it means
that we have to be concerned about the things
that are Jesus Christ's. It's not that we're
completely unconcerned about ourselves. There's
a place to be concerned about ourselves and others,
but it means that Jesus Christ is above all.
He's preeminent. Oh, Paul says, I pray that you
may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please
him in all respects. Then he explains a little
more of what he means. He tells us what that
kind of a life looks like as he's writing to
the Colossians. And you will notice that he uses
four expressions to explain what this walk that
is worthy looks like. Verse 10, bearing fruit.
You may want to underline that. And then increasing
Second word, increasing in the knowledge of God.
Verse 11, strengthened, or being strengthened
with all power. And number four, giving thanks
to the Father. Paul says, here is the kind of
a life I'm talking about. The kind of a life
that pleases the Lord in all respects. It is
one in which there are bearing fruit, Where you
are increasing in the knowledge of God, you are
being strengthened with all power, you are giving
thanks to the Father. Now today we're only going
to look at the first two of those words. We'll
leave the rest for next week. But first he says,
if you're going to live a life that is pleasing
to God, it means bearing fruit in every good
work. This is the same word that Paul used earlier
in verse 6. When he says in all the world the
gospel is constantly bearing fruit He says the
gospel is bearing fruit now I want you to bear
fruit In every good work every good work Often
we make the distinction between what we do in
the church and what we do on the job We draw
a line between the secular and the sacred, and
we say, well this I have to do for the Lord,
this I do for others, and we leave the Lord out
of it. The Apostle is saying in every good work,
in every good work, we're to bear fruit for the
Lord. Whether it be working in a wanna, teaching
a Sunday school, ushering, singing the choir,
leading a cell group, whatever it be, or if it
be typing a letter, be going on a business trip,
It'd be writing an order, listening to a counselee,
whatever it be, and every good work bearing fruit
that honors Jesus Christ. And not only that,
he says, increasing in the knowledge of God.
When the heart of the believer is enlightened
about God's will and God's purposes, It brings
about as a natural consequence an increasing
and personal knowledge of God Himself. You see
the knowledge of God's plan, God's purpose in
the world and for yourself is like water, like
rain that comes down upon you and as a result
of it, it nourishes you and you grow and you
increase in the knowledge of God himself. Paul
is describing a Christian here not as one who
is rigid and stagnant, who's part of God's chosen,
frozen, who's passive and indifferent. He is
describing a Christian here as one who is productive
and dynamic, energetic, magnetic, vigorous, use
the word you want, that's the way he describes
us, in a walk that is worthy. Christianity is
not a set of rules. It's not even a doctrinal
position or an ethical philosophy. Christianity
is a life. It is a life because it involves a
vital relationship with the living God. So what
a powerful way to pray for others. That the heart
may be enlightened. That the lifestyle may be
enriched. so that God's life in them might be
evidenced. A couple of closing thoughts. It is
a powerful thing to gain insight into God's will.
It is a powerful thing. For when you and I have
that kind of insight, we gain through the Word
by the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
When we are enlightened, when we are filled,
dominated and controlled by an understanding
of what God's about and what our place is, it
produces dynamic within us. If my heart lacks
motivation to serve Christ, if I am indifferent,
and I've grown cold and stiff in my Christianity.
Perhaps it's because I have not gained enlightenment
into God's will, what God's doing and how I fit
into it. Maybe I've forgotten that. As I said
before, we don't find that kind of knowledge
sitting in front of a television set, sitting
sleepily in church. We're approaching our Bible
on an occasional basis. We gain understanding
in what God is about in the world and what our
place is in it by being in the book, by being
in the Word with diligence, and choosing to lay
aside the amusements and entertainments that
attract so much of our attention in this pleasure
-oriented society. Have you ever wondered why
these things are often called amusements? What
does it mean to muse on something? It means to
think. If you put the letter A in front of it,
it negates it. It means not to think. That's
why they're called amusements, because you don't
think. If you and I are going to gain insight
into God, If we're going to experience the dynamic
of understanding what God is doing in the world
and what our place is in it, then it means we've
got to think. And we have to think about the
Word. We have to ask the Holy Spirit to be our
teacher. Jesus said, ask and you will receive.
Seek, you will find. Knock, it will be opened
to you. But not if you're quiet. and still and
passive. You'll miss it. My challenge today on
this GraceFest is as a church, as never before
in our lives as a congregation, as individuals,
let us be seeking God. Let us get into this book
and ask the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. Let
us ask God for ourselves and for everyone else
in our church that we may be filled with the
knowledge of His will. That we may understand
what God is about in our world and get plugged
into it. A good friend of mine passed away this
last week. Mark Bates, who sang this morning
with the choir of his grandpa. George was 89
years old. A pastor all of his life. He had not
been active in the ministry for a number of years,
but he was a pastor of pastors. He was the kind
of man who had an inquiring mind. He was intimidating
to be around because he always was asking, what
are you reading? Have you read? and then he would
name some book that was, you know, down the list
somewhere for me. He had already read it, was
thinking about it, was growing. A disciplined
student of the Word of God. Prayed for me, prayed
for hundreds of missionaries and pastors in the
course of a month. What an example people like
that set. He was a man who knew God. He was a
man who was energized by this knowledge of God.
And even at 89 years of age, he was pressing
on. He was like Caleb saying, give me this mountain,
until the Lord called him home. Dear people,
let's follow that kind of an example. Let's not
retire. Let's not sit back on what we've done.
Let's not be content and complacent and indifferent.
Let's ask God to do a work in our church this
year and in each of us that we may be filled
with the knowledge of God and the knowledge of
His will and bearing fruit and increasing our
lives being changed by that. Let's press ahead
for all that God has for us. The second thought
is this, if your knowledge of God is real, It's
going to make you like Jesus. If your knowledge
of God is real, it's going to make you like Jesus.
You can know doctrine. You can quote the apostles'
creed and all the creeds of the old. You can
quote theology statements and not at all be like
Jesus. There are liberal seminaries full of people
like that. They can tell you about the books
of the Bible as they understand them. But they're
not like Jesus. If the knowledge of God is real
in us, it's going to make us like Jesus. It's
not going to make us proud and divisive and puffed
up. It's going to make us humble and patient
and forbearing and concerned about unity and
loving. It's going to make us like Jesus. If
your lifestyle is not honoring to the Lord, If
the choices that you're making are not pleasing
Him in all respect, let this day of festival
in God's grace be a day when you say, enough
of that. I've gone far enough in that direction.
I'm going to stop, and by God's grace I repent
of that. I'm going to go the other way. I want
Jesus Christ to be honored in my life. I want
to honor Him in all respects. I want to live
a life that is worthy of the Lord. What a great
day for you to do that. And what a difference
it will make. And whether it's when you're 89,
like my good friend this last week, or it's 29,
when you leave this world and go to be with Christ.
You'll be able to step into a heaven and hear
his words of commendation. Because not only have
you known him and be filled with the knowledge
of his will and where you've plugged in, but
you have been like Jesus. Your heart has been
transformed. Your life has been enriched and
changed by him, to be like him. the evangelist
of the last century, and a friend were talking
one day, and their attention was drawn to a man
who was walking nearby. Moody's response immediately
was, he must have been in a military school.
And his friend said, well, Moody, that's right,
I happen to know him, but how did you know that?
And he said, I could tell it by the way that
he walked. Oh, the people can tell that we have
walked with Jesus. Because as they see the conduct
of our lives, they can say, I recognize that.
That life, that conduct, that behavior, reminds
me of Jesus. The greatest compliment I think
I've had in 25 years of ministry I got from a
little child in Sunday school who probably didn't
realize what he was saying. And when I tell you
what he said, you'll say, surely he didn't realize
what he was saying. I was in a Sunday school
class for something I don't even recall what
it was. And when I went away, he said to his
teacher, he reminds me of Jesus. And I thought,
dear God, were it true? And would it be true
of my life and of yours that when people see
us, they're reminded of Jesus? For that to happen
is going to take a change in our hearts. We're
going to have to open our hearts to the Lord
and say, Lord, teach me. Show me your will. Fill
me with this knowledge. Lord, enrich my life
so that I may walk worthy of you, pleasing you
in all respects. Are you willing to make that
kind of change? today, to open your heart to
it, whatever it may mean? I hope so. I am. As
we celebrate God's grace, let's let it do its
work in our lives. Let's pray. With your head
bowed and with God the Spirit bringing to a consummation
what He wants to do in your heart this morning,
are you willing to say that, Lord? bring about
change in me. My life's going the wrong direction.
Lord, enlighten my heart, fill me with the knowledge
of your will, so that then I may walk in a manner
worthy of you, the Lord I can confess, and please
you in everything. That I may bear fruit and
increase in the knowledge of you. Lord, do what's
necessary in my heart to change me. Is that your
prayer? It's mine. Father, I pray that none of
us will escape that point of conviction that
the Holy Spirit is bringing. If there be some
friend who's here without Jesus as Lord and Savior,
I pray for them. God helped them to understand
that He died for them. He rose again. He paid
for their sins on the cross and He loves them
and desires to come into their lives. Help them
today, right now, to repent of sin, to turn to
the Savior, the only one who saves, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I pray that all of us who have
made that decision at some time in our lives,
Lord, may today commit ourselves afresh to the
knowledge of your will. I pray that you will
enlighten us as a church, that you will fill
us with the knowledge of your will. What you're
doing in our world today, what your purposes
are, and show us how we personally fit into that,
how we as a church fit into it, so that then
we can walk worthy of the name that we lift up.
And this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.