Paul's Prayers (Colossians 1:9-23)
Colossians 1:9-23 (ESV)
In our last lesson we talked about the first section of Paul's introduction of his letter to the Colossians. We saw that the introduction can be broken down into three sections that introduce the themes that Paul develops throughout the letter. He tells the Colossians (1) how he is thanking God for them, (2) how he is praying for them, and (3) what he is doing for them.
We talked about Paul's thanksgiving and how it runs as a theme throughout Colossians. This evening we will look at how Paul is praying for them. He prays that this young church will grow in knowledge (v. 9), in holiness (v.10) and in spiritual power (v, 11). After this he prays that they will be continually filled with gratitude to God (v.12). He wants them to focus on Christ. Christ is the Creator and He is the Re-Creator of the world and humanity. In JESUS there is a new beginning!
1. The Knowledge of God (1:9-12a)
Colossians 1:9-12a (ESV)
"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, 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; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father...
These verses connect to Paul's opening thanksgiving. What God has already done gives Paul confidence in what God will do. Far too often we stop short of what God wants to do because we stop praying. Paul teaches us to continue in prayer. Our prayer should be tireless. Paul does everything with prayer at the center. His work as an apostle is not his own idea. There is an ebb and flow between prayer and the work of God. We do our part and God does His in an endless dance. Paul understood this. Prayer is a leaning upon God's Grace as well as an appropriation of that Grace.
Paul prays that God will fill the Colossians with the knowledge of His will. This knowledge forms the basis of both holiness and thanksgiving. It is also the central characteristic of the new humanity that God is creating in Christ. To know God's will is not only to know what God wants us to do but knowledge of God Himself in relationship.
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,"
This knowledge is in "all spiritual wisdom and understanding." The knowledge of God's Will that Paul is praying for them to be filled with is "spiritual." It is not merely intellectual. God is not an object to be studied, He Is a subject to be in relationship with. God's will can only be known relationally. Often when we wrestle with knowing the will of God, it is because we are attempting to hold God at arms length. Paul's prayer is that they would know God intimately. It is them that they will have true wisdom and understanding.
Knowledge, wisdom and understanding are connected throughout the OT. We think about the book of Proverbs and its practical everyday wisdom. The things that it contains are spiritual principles that if you live by you will do well! If you lack wisdom, James says that all you have to do is ask and God will give it (James 1:5-8).
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;"
True knowledge of God will change the way we live. It brings fruitfulness in "every good work." The end result is increase. In Jesus's parable of the four soils, He says that those who receive His Words with an honest and good heart bring forth fruit according to their ability (Mark 4:1-20). The fruit is good works and the outgrowth is a continual increase in the knowledge of God. When we yield ourselves to the wisdom and understanding that comes from obeying the knowledge of God we he have we move to more knowledge. You do not know everything there is to know about God. He is Infinite in His Glory and in His Will. The way to know more is to continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. When we are walking in this way, there is no time for spiritual pride that says look at me, or a judgmental spirit that criticizes others. Our only pursuit is love, loving God and loving others. Love is the essence of what it means to bear fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Far too often we find ourselves worrying about what others are doing rather than focusing on what God has called us to do. Paul prays that the Colossians will focus and increase.
Colossians 1:11
"...being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;"
Paul knows that left to ourselves, we do not have the needed strength to live the way that God wants us to and so he prays that they will be "strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy..." We are not meant to do it on our own strength. It is the power of God! (Cf. Ephesians 6:10).
Jesus promised the disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon them. When Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, in contrast to the works of the flesh, He is emphasizing that we cannot do it on our own (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus said that He is the Vine and we are the branches. If we are not connected to Him, we cannot bear fruit (John 15:5). When Paul talks about spiritual warfare in Ephesians, he says to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might (Ephesians 6:10). We need to pray like Paul prayed. Without prayer there is no strength, no endurance, no patience with joy. It is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God! (Zechariah 4:6).
This reminds us of the OT passage which says that, "the joy of the Lord is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10). The joy of knowing God can help you to endure anything. The joy of God's salvation can keep you from being beaten by the Christian's three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil (Cf. John 15:11; 16:24).
Colossians 1:12
"...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light..."
Paul once again brings his prayer back to thanksgiving. Growing up spiritually has to do with our relationship to God. God does not leave us as we are, but intends for us to grow up. We should thank Him at every step along the way! He is the one who qualifies us to obtain the inheritance with the saints in the light. We do not earn this inheritance, it is a gift from God. You don't get good to get God, you get God to get good. This is a reason to live life practicing gratitude and the resulting joy!
2. Reasons for Thanksgiving
Colossians 1:12b-23
"...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. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Many scholars argue that this is a poem or a song, a hymn.
Colossians 1:12b
"...Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
You are qualified! Paul idea of an inheritance reminds us of the way Moses led Israel through the wilderness after the Exodus towards the Promised Land which Joshua eventually led them to possess. It was their inheritance. They were chosen and God chose their inheritance and then qualified them to get it. The reason they were qualified is because they were the descendants of Abraham (Deuteronomy 7:7-9). The reason they were qualified is because they had followed in the footsteps of Abraham! They had applied the blood to their lives at Passover! They had gone through the waters of the Red Sea and the cloud. They had gone through the waters of Jordan and walked in step with the Ark of the Covenant. God chose us before the foundation of the world and He invites us to follow Him in death, burial, and resurrection and then in walking in step with the Spirit! (Acts 2:28; Romans 8:14-17). God gives us the gifts that He wants us to have, he chooses our inheritance (Psalm 47:4). This is evident in that when Joshua divided Canaan between the tribes of Israel, he did it by casting lots (Joshua 14:2). It seemed random, but God was in charge of the roll of the dice (Proverbs 16:23). We are qualified by trust in the faithfulness of Jesus. Like the children of Israel passed through the waters of the Red Sea and were baptized in the cloud, we pass through the waters of baptism and are sealed with the Holy Spirit (John 3:5; Acts 2:38; 1 Cor 10:2). We walk through the wilderness of this world headed for the world to come. The "saints that are in the light" refers to the way we are called out of the darkness that dominates the present world (1 Peter 2:9). Paul says that the peoples of the world are blinded by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). They cannot see, but we who are in Christ can see and we can grow. Beautiful things grow in the light!
Colossians 1:13
"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son..."
The children of Israel lived for 400 years under the oppressive rule of Pharaoh in Egypt. Their Egyptian bondage was a type of the spiritual oppression of sin. We have been delivered! But, that is not all Paul is thankful for. We have also been translated! We are positionally already in the kingdom of the Son of God! Being in the kingdom of the Son means that we receive all of the privileges and responsibilities of sonship. We are in the family of God and therefore, we are beloved.
Paul has circled around to highlight the theme that everything is in Christ. The kingdom is the kingdom of the Son. When God came in Christ all that belongs to the Father was invested in the Son! There is nothing lacking in the kingdom of the Son. God has invested all that He has in the Human Frame of the Savior, the entire kingdom. As a Man, Jesus is the Heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2; Revelation 3:27; 21:7). This imagery of Sonship looks back to the covenant that the LORD made with David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16, where He promised that one of David's descendants would sit on the throne of the kingdom forever! JESUS can do this because while He is fully Human, He is also the God Who made the promise!
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
To be in the kingdom of the Son means that God has come to us in a way that we can get to Him! He has become one of us, He has become one with us!
Matthew 1:23 (KJV)
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
The only way to be translated into the kingdom of the Father is to be in the kingdom of the Son! He shall reign forever and ever (John 14:16; Isaiah 9:7)! Hallelujah!!! Our redemption and the forgiveness of sins is in Him (Colossians 1:14). It is through the shed blood of Jesus. Just as God redeemed Israel from Pharaoh through the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) so Christ is the price of our redemption (1 Corinthians 5:7)!
This is how Paul is praying for the Colossians! When we pray for others, when we pray for ourselves, we need to remember that we are redeemed by the blood! We need to remember that we have an inheritance! That we are in the kingdom of the Son of His Love! When we pray knowing what God has done for us it gives us faith to possess it and be fruitful! Far too often we live below our privilege because we do not know who we are. Knowing who we are is intimately tied up in knowing Who God is! He created humanity to be made in His image and likeness! That is something to be thankful for! This is where the next verse picks up in Paul's prayer. Speaking of Jesus, He says:
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Jesus said that to see Him was to see the Father (John 14:9). No one has ever seen God (John 1:18). God's invisibility means that He cannot be seen or even conceived of apart from His choice to reveal Himself in some way. He has done this in many ways. He has revealed Himself in creation (Genesis 1; Psalm 19; Romans 1:21), through angels (Hebrews 1), in dreams and visions (Numbers 12:6), through human conscience (Proverbs 20:27), and a myriad of other ways. But, one of the ways that we perhaps often miss is the way God has spoken to us through the human beings that are all around us every single day. Each human life is born a mixed bag, marred by sin, but still possessing the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). When we look at the best qualities of human relationships and stewardship, we see a pale shadow of God's attributes. But, when we see Jesus we see God fully! He is the Image of the Invisible God. If you want to know what God is like and what Humanity should be, look to Jesus! If you want to know what kind of father to be, look at Jesus! If you want to know what kind of child to be, look at Jesus! If you want to know what kind of spouse to be, look at Jesus! He is the archetypal Human Being! He is Humanity as it should be! To see Him is to see the Father!
Jesus is the "Firstborn of all creation." The word for firstborn means to be first in preeminence. Throughout Colossians Paul will return to this again and again. In the culture of the OT, it was the firstborn who received the double portion (2/3rds) of a family's inheritance. JESUS is the firstborn in that He is the heir of all things. He has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). He is also firstborn of the new humanity that God is creating in and through the church.
Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The one who was begotten as the Son is the same One who created the universe. Everything we can see or cannot see was created by JESUS! When we say that President Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 we do not mean that he was president when he was born. JESUS is the Eternal Word of God and God created everything by expressing Himself. When the full time came, He expressed Himself as the Son! When JESUS, the Man, walked upon the earth the wind and seas obeyed Him, because He is God! The forces of nature and the spirit world both good and bad obeyed Him, because He is God! He created it all before He came into the world and He continues to hold it all together! This is how Paul prays for the Colossians! He reminds them that the One they are in relationship with made it all and controls it all! Even the church...
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of the church. He is the first One to be resurrected. He is out ahead of us leading the way! We want to stay connected to Him because it is the only way to be fruitful in the here and the hereafter! JESUS is first in everything@
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
God chose to wrap Himself and dwell within a genuine Human life when He came into the world as the Son. We do not understand how JESUS could be fully Human and fully God. It is a mystery, but it is true! It is what made God happy. Aren't you glad that God loves humanity enough that he wants to be near them. He wants to be so near that He invested all of His attributes in the form of the Son, a genuine Human Being! This is how Paul prays! He relishes in the wonder of Who JESUS is! What would our prayer lives be like if we spent more time thinking about Who JESUS is?
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
When we exalt Jesus we can believe in the power of His reconciliation. He is not just fixing a part of broken creation, He is fixing it all! And He is doing it from the inside out. When God made the first creation in which we exist, He worked from the outside in (Genesis 1). The final act that we see him doing in the creation stories is breathing into humanity the breath of life and giving them the power to procreate. When creation got messed up because of humanity's sin God came into the world through the womb of a virgin. He invested His glory into a tiny cell and then began working from there to recreate a new world. Eventually He laid down His Life on the cross. The cross was the reverse point. All that death and hell and the grave and the world the flesh and the devil had done to destroy JESUS took and began to reverse through the blood. There is a new creation coming and it begins in us (Romans 8). When we are filled with the Spirit of the Living God, He is working in us to create a new humanity and at the resurrection there will be a manifestation of those who are in the kingdom of the Son and God will make everything new!
3. Because of What Jesus Has Done
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
We weren't always where we are today. What has made us right with God is the sacrifice of His Son! He has reconciled us to Himself through the agency of the Humanity that He has chosen to become One with, though the Humanity that He willingly laid down on the cross. We are made right with God! So, Paul finishes his prayer by saying that we should act like it. We should live into the truths that God has declared over us. The gospel has gone throughout the world and Paul tells the Colossians because they have heard it, he prays that they will obey it. We can live better through the power of what JESUS has done. Will we?
