Scripture Text
Colossians 1:9-14
Intro: The book of
James states in James 5:16b (NKJV) “The effective, fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much.” For our prayers to be effective and powerful they
must be according to God’s will. These verses before us today are God’s will
for all of His church.
When we pray
according to God’s will, we can expect powerful results. (1 John 5:14-15)
I. This is a prayer for us to be filled with
knowledge of God’s will for our lives. Colossians 1:9 (NKJV) 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
A. In all wisdom. Wisdom is Knowledge of what
is true or right coupled with just judgment as to the action which is to be
taken in a every situation we face in this life.
B. In all spiritual understanding. Means skill in dealing with
or handling spiritual things!
This
knowledge, wisdom and understanding are not for just one particular thing but
for all of life. God's will for us involves our very behavior and conduct; it
even reaches down into the depth of imagination and thought. Imagine!
Bring
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5)
God has willed a life for us to live and we need to be filled with the
knowledge of that life.
II. This prayer is to be able to walk worthy
of the Lord. Colossians 1:10 (NKJV) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
a. We are to be pleasing to the Lord in
everything. Is it possible for Christians to please God? Apparently so,
for Paul prayed exactly that for the Colossian believers!
Perfection won’t be achieved in this life, yet
believers press on toward the goal of God’s high calling for our lives.
b. We are to be fruitful in every good work.
Knowing something and having the ability to do something are very important,
but they involve only head knowledge. The critical point is putting what we
know into practice. We are to live out the will of God; we are to practice and
do the will of God. Knowing the will of God is of no value until we have
committed our lives to do it and produce the fruit of righteousness.
c. We are to constantly be growing in our
knowledge of God. The only way to increase our knowledge of God is to read His
word daily. We are to pray for spiritual understanding of His word as we read
it.
III. This prayer is to be strengthened with
all might.
a. According to God’s glorious power. One can hardly pray
a more wonderful prayer. To be made strong with God’s power is to be given
incredible strength—it was God’s glorious power that created the universe and
that brought Jesus back to life.
b. It’s the power to be patient and
longsuffering. Patience is the ability to stand firm against
opposition without giving up; it is often used in describing one’s dealings
with difficult people and circumstances. Endurance is the ability to
continue toward a goal regardless of the obstacles; it is often used in
relation to difficult problems. Both are needed, and both come from the
empowerment of God’s glorious strength. God's power gives us a spirit of
joyfulness through all the trials and tribulations of life. We have joy knowing
we are doing God’s will and pleasing Him.
c. It’s the power to have Joy. Joy means an inner
gladness; a deep seated pleasure. It is a depth of assurance and confidence
that ignites a cheerful and rejoicing heart. It is a cheerful heart that leads
to cheerful and rejoicing behavior. We can be joyous because God has qualified
us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. We have to be
prepared, that is, qualified and made fit before we can receive the
inheritance. Man is not qualified or fit to receive anything from God,
especially an inheritance. God has qualified us for the inheritance through our
faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. What have we inherited? We are
heirs of salvation and eternal life. We are heirs of the promises made to
Abraham, the promises to inherit the world and to be a citizen of a great
nation of people. We are heirs of God’s glory, grace, love, and righteousness. We
are heirs of God's very special favor. We are heirs of an immortal and
perfected body that shall be given us when Christ returns. We are heirs of
God’s kingdom.
IV. We are to thank God we have been
delivered. Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV) 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
a. From the power of darkness.
We have been delivered out of Satan’s kingdom of darkness and evil. We have
been bought back from Satan’s control by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ died for man. He took the penalty of sins and bore the punishment
Himself on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5 ) He
was able to do this because He was the Perfect and Ideal Man, and as the Ideal
Man, He stands for and represent all mankind. He took the keys of death and
hell away from Satan. We have been transferred from spiritual darkness into the
kingdom of Christ.
b. Into the kingdom of the Son of His
love.
1. We are to thank God’s Son Jesus that we have
redemption through His blood. Our sins have been forgiven. They are not going
to be forgiven, they have been forgiven. We have been transferred from the
power of darkness into the kingdom of God by Jesus Christ.
We now live for Him
we show our gratitude.
Invitation: Have you been delivered from the power of
darkness and translated into God’s kingdom by Jesus Christ? If not now is the
perfect time! Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Invite
Jesus to take charge of your life. If you have been saved, will you pray this
prayer for yourself and the church? It is time for us to take prayer seriously!
We have not because we ask not. (James 4:2)
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