God Has Produced Great Gospel-Fruit in You and There is Still More to be Done.

Sermon Transcript

You can learn a lot about someone by listening to them pray. After all, our prayers reveal our priorities. Prayer, according to the New City Catechism, is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition (asking), confession of sin, and thanksgiving. And our prayers reveal our priorities. For example, you can learn a lot about what someone feels is urgent or important, about who they love or what they believe “the good life” is by listening to what they ask for in their prayers of petition. Similarly, you can learn a lot about what someone believes about the generosity, kindness, and sovereignty of God by what they thank God for. You can learn a lot about someone by listening to them pray because our prayers reveal true our priorities and beliefs. I wonder, what do your prayers reveal about you?

 

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians begins with a prayer because prayer is the primary work of the people of God; it’s our first priority, not our last resort. And the Apostle Paul’s prayer reveals his priorities, but not just his priorities. Remember, Paul’s prayer here is the inspired, infallible word of God. Therefore, Paul’s prayer doesn’t only reveal his priorities. Paul’s prayer reveals the priorities of God himself. We can learn a lot about God’s heart, a lot about God’s priorities for our lives, and we can learn a lot about how to pray by reading and studying Paul’s prayer here in Colossians chapter one. Paul’s prayer is divided into two parts. The first part is a prayer of thanksgiving. Notice the prayer proper begins in Colossians 1:3, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…” So, the first half of the prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving, but in verse nine, the prayer transitions from thanksgiving to petition. Colossians 1:9 – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you…” It’s a prayer of thanksgiving and petition. So, Paul began his letter by offering a prayer of thanksgiving to God because God had already done much in the Colossians and a prayer of petition on behalf of the Colossians because there was still much more for God to do in them. And that brings us to the timeless big idea of our passage this morning: God has produced great gospel-fruit in you and there is still more to be done. And Citylight Church, this big idea is true of you, as well. God has produced great gospel-fruit in you. I’m so genuinely thankful to be one of your pastors because I see so much gospel-fruit in you. And there is still more to be done. So, this morning, we’ll take the big idea of our passage in two parts, two points: 1. God has produced great gospel-fruit in you (vv. 1-8) 2. There is still more to be done (vv. 9-14).

 

GOD HAS PRODUCED GREAT GOSPEL-FRUIT IN YOU (vv. 1-8)

 

Let’s begin at the beginning so that we can see who this letter is from, who it is for, and why Paul wrote it. Colossians 1:1 – Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. The letter was written by Paul, who was an apostle. The word apostle means “sent one.” Sometimes I think of an apostle a little like the White House Press Secretary. The White House press secretary speaks for the president and with the president’s authority. Similarly, “apostle” refers to a special group of men who were commissioned directly by Jesus Christ to write and speak with his authority. The office of apostle no longer exists, but the Bible is our apostolic authority today. Now, lest you think that being an apostle meant you lived in luxury and bossed people around, the Apostle Paul, along with his pastoral protege Timothy, wrote his letter to the Colossians around AD 60 while in chains in a Roman prison he preached that Jesus Christ is Lord. The letter is from Paul, who was an apostle by God’s will, but who is it for? Colossians 1:2 – To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. The letter is to all the Christians in the church at Colossae, a small city in what is now Turkey. Paul calls the Christians “saints and faithful brothers.” Contrary to popular belief among some today, saints are not a select few who are uniquely venerated by the church. Rather, as you can plainly see from this verse, all Christians, all faithful brothers, are saints because all Christians are sanctified, fully cleansed by the blood of Jesus through faith, and set apart for God’s exclusive use. If you’re in Christ, you’re a saint! And the main reason Paul wrote the letter is found in Colossians 2:6-7 – Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, [7] rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Paul wrote his letter to help Christians like us who have received Christ as Lord to keep walking in Him, firmly established in the faith. To do that, we need grace and peace from God our Father.

 

With that background in place, we’re ready to learn about the gospel-fruit that Paul heard about in the Colossian church that he thanks God for producing in them. Colossians 1:3-6 – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, Let me summarize and then I’ll unpack it. Paul heard about the Colossians’ faith or trust in Jesus Christ and their love for one another, which was inspired by the eternal hope that they heard in the gospel of grace, and he thanked God for it because it was all God’s ultimate doing. In other words, to take it step-by-step, Paul heard that the Colossians heard the gospel, which Paul calls “the grace of God in truth.” The Colossians heard the gospel, they heard about hope laid up for them in heaven. They heard about the eternal inheritance and the eternal kingdom that awaits all who have been set free from the power and penalty of sin. In the gospel they heard the message of hope laid up in heaven for all who are in Christ. And that hope inspired or awakened faith in Christ and love for saints in them. And Paul thanks God because faith in Christ and love for saints, all inspired by hope, is a miracle of God’s doing.

 

Let me give you two quick examples of this extraordinary work of God; hope inspiring faith and love. The first one is from the Bible. In the book of Hebrews it says that Moses refused to enjoy the riches of Pharaoh’s house and instead chose to love and lead God’s people, though it meant suffering on their behalf, because Moses looked to his future reward, the hope laid up for him in heaven. So, Moses’ hope laid up in heaven inspired his faith in God’s promise and his willingness to forego worldly comfort to suffer and serve others in love. The second example is you. Last Sunday, in a great act of faith in Christ and love for one another, you made sacrificial financial commitments to the Complete Initiative. Why? Because you’re looking forward to the eternal reward with the eyes of faith, rather than hold onto your money or spend it on yourself, you’ve committed it to build up the church in a great act of love. In summary, the reason why Paul thanked God for the Colossians and the reason why I thank God for you, Citylight, is because Paul heard and I’ve seen your faith in Christ and your love for saints, which are inspired by the objective hope laid up for you in heaven. That’s extraordinary gospel-fruit, so I thank God for it.

 

Ok – let’s begin to take this personally. What do we do with Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Colossians? Four brief ideas. First, thank God when you see gospel-fruit in others. Do you see faith in Christ and love for saints, both inspired by eternal hope, in your fellow church members? That’s a miracle of God’s grace. Whenever you see it, just briefly thank God for it. When you have times of prayer, include that in your prayers of thanksgiving. Second, when you see gospel-fruit in your fellow church members, tell them about it. It’s instructive that Paul did not only thank God for the gospel-fruit that he saw in the Colossians, he told the Colossians about it. Do the same because that glorifies God, encourages each other, makes church life delightful, and creates a community that is compelling to our non-Christian friends and neighbors. As the 19th century Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle once wrote, “Be eagle-eyed in seeing the good that is in your brethren and dim-sighted as the mole about the evil. Let your memory be a strongbox for their graces but r a sieve for their faults.” I want to be part of a church that tells each other why we thank God for each other. Third, see that the ordinary Christian life is actually extraordinary. Faith in Christ and love for one another, all inspired by eternal hope, is ordinary Christianity, but it’s the result of God’s extraordinary grace. We have a tendency to get bored with ordinary Christianity and go on the hunt for fresh insights and experiences, but what Paul thanks God for, ordinary Christianity, that’s what we need to see and savor as extraordinary. Fourth, examine yourself to see if you’re a true Christian. Not everyone who goes to church or says, “Lord, Lord…” is a truly converted Christian. What Paul thanks God for are the marks of a true Christian. Examine yourself. If these marks, if this fruit is missing, repent of your sins, turn to Christ, and be truly saved. Those are four things we can do with Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving. Citylight Church – I thank God for your faith in Christ and your love for the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven that you heard in the gospel. With that said, the Colossians had not arrived when Paul wrote his letter and neither have we. So, let’s look to the second part of the prayer, Paul’s prayer of petition. Paul offers a prayer of petition for the Colossians because, secondly…

 

THERE IS STILL MORE TO BE DONE (vv. 9-14)  

 

Once again, before we look at the details of what Paul prays for the Colossians, before we look at the “more” that Paul prays for, let’s consider how best to apply Paul’s prayer. What should we do with Paul’s prayer, individually and as a church family? We should do at least two things with Paul’s prayer. First, let Paul’s prayer shape your prayers. Have you ever felt like you’re stuck praying the same old things about the same old things? Have you ever wanted to pray for someone, but you don’t know what to pray? Do people ever ask you how they can pray for you, but you don’t know what to pray? Do you ever set aside time to pray but don’t know where to begin? One of the best things to do with Paul’s prayers in the New Testament is let them shape what you pray and ask others to pray for you. You can literally take his petition prayer in Colossians and pray it for yourself, your wife or husband, your kids, your Citygroup and CG leader, your fellow church members, your pastors, and your world. Do that and you’ll run out of time to pray far before you run out of things to pray. Let Paul’s prayer shape your prayers. Second, let Paul’s prayer shape your priorities. Honest question: what are your highest priorities and goals in life right now? Now, remember that Paul’s prayer is Holy Scripture, the very word of God. So, Paul’s petition here in Colossians reflects God’s priorities for all the saints. As you read the prayer, ask yourself, “does this prayer shape my life-priorities?” 

 

Here is my summary of what Paul prays for the Colossian church: Paul prays for growing gospel-knowledge, which leads to growing holy living. 

 

First, Paul prays for growing gospel-knowledge. Colossians 1:9 – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding… What exactly was Paul asking for when he prayed that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will? The renowned New Testament scholar Dr. Doug Moo writes, “that what Paul has in mind is not some particular or special direction for one’s life (as we often use the phrase ‘God’s will’), but a deep and abiding understanding of the revelation of Christ and all that he means for the universe (vv. 15-20) and for the Colossians (vv. 21-23).” In short, Paul prayed that the Colossians will have a growing, experiential, and intellectual knowledge of all of Christ for all of life. Is that what you pray for yourself? Is that what you pray for others? Is that your priority and aspiration? Are you coasting or are you prayerfully increasing in your knowledge of all of Christ for all of life? Now, I want you to see that Paul prays for growing gospel-knowledge because that leads to growing holy living. We become what we behold. We imitate what we worship. We love more the more we know. So, as we behold more of Christ, we become more like Him in true holiness.  Colossians 1:9-10a – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him… Growing in knowledge of Christ leads to walking in a manner worthy of Christ, which is living in a way that fully pleases Him. And Paul prays for this because growing gospel-knowledge that leads to growing holy living is ultimately only something God can produce in us. Does Paul’s prayer shape your prayers and your priorities? 

 

After praying that growing gospel-knowledge will lead to growing holy living, Paul details the specifics of what holy living really looks like. Living in a manner pleasing to the Lord looks like four things. Do these shape your prayers and determine your priorities? 

 

First, a life that pleases the Lord looks like bearing fruit in every good work. Colossians 1:10 – so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work… When you pray for others, when you ask others to pray for you, and when you consider what you’re aspiring to, put bearing fruit in good works that flow from love for one another on the top of your list. 

 

Second, increasing in the knowledge of God. Living in a manner worthy of the Lord means increasing in our knowledge of Him. Colossians 1:10 – ….so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Is the aspiration of your life to increase in your knowledge of God through reading the Bible, sitting under Bible teaching, taking Citylight Institute classes, attending Citygroup, and discipling one another? When others ask, “how can I pray for you?”, start saying, “please pray that I will increase in my knowledge of God.” Pray that for one another. 

 

Third, walking worthy of the Lord means being strengthened by God for patient, joyful endurance. Colossians 1:11 – being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; Living in a manner worthy of the Lord looks like relying on the Lord’s power to keep joyfully trusting in the Lord for the long haul, rather than starting well and then turning away from Christ when life’s trials and changes come. Pray that for one another that no one’s faith will fail. 

 

Fourth, Giving thanks to the Father for calling you into the Kingdom of His Son, through whom you’re set free from the power and penalty of sin. You’ve probably already noticed that giving thanks to the Father for all that Christ means for you is a very big deal in Colossians. Why? Because you will not turn away from Christ or think you need to add to Christ or fall prey to adjusting the gospel of Christ while you’re constantly thanking God for Christ. Thanksgiving will keep you from deconstructing and it pleases God. What do we thank Him for? giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

 

Citylight Church – God has produced great gospel-fruit in you and there is still more to come, until that day when we see his Kingdom.