Sermon Notes
Sermon: Beginning with Prayer by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: July 28, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Colossians 1:1-14
Sermon Notes:
Letter to the Colossians
If Paul had not written his letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae, we probably would have never even known there was a church there. It is not mentioned in Acts or anywhere else in the Bible. Paul himself did not plant the church, and he actually never even visited the church in Colossae. So, how is it that Paul came to write the letter to the Colossians?
Colossae was one of 3 cities located inland about 100 miles from Ephesus. The other two cities are Laodicea and Hierapolis. It is thought that the Christians churches that sprang up from ministries/mission work stemming from the church Paul helped to start in Ephesus. At one point, all 3 cities served as a meeting point between East and West as a major trade route passed through them. They were growing and prosperous. All kinds of philosophies and religions abounded, including a large Jewish colony.
However, by Paul’s time, Colossae had slipped in its prominence, but it was still large enough for Paul to take notice. In turn, Paul’s reputation was known far and wide, and even though he was in prison in Rome, he had many visitors and correspondence. Epaphras, one of the leaders of the church at Colossae, delivered a letter personally to Paul and to confer with him about some issues they were having in the church. The letter to the Colossians is Paul’s response. Epaphras chose to stay with Paul to help him with his work, and someone else delivered the letter.
Structure of the Letter
Ancient letters began with a greeting that typically included the same of the sender, the name of the addressee, and a message of greeting. We find that in Colossians 1:1-2 (ESV):
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Notice that in this case, Timothy assisted Paul in writing the letter. A Jewish message of greeting was typically “shalom”, or “peace”. Paul preferred to emphasize grace, and his letters typically will say “grace and peace” as it does here. Paul’s letters also highlight that the grace and peace stem from God and Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians is the only letter in which “grace and peace” stands alone, and it is unknown as to why Paul does not mention Christ here. It is especially curious since most of Colossians chapter one is all about Christ. In fact, the whole letter is pretty much all about Christ. Perhaps he did it for effect?
The next part of an ancient Greek letter was often an expression of Thanksgiving. When we did our sermon series on Galatians, a few weeks ago, I pointed out that Paul was on a bit of a rant and skipped over the Thanksgiving part. However, in Colossians 1:3-8, Paul does express thanksgiving. The interesting thing about this section is that it is written in the plural. Often when Paul includes others with him in the greeting, he will switch to the singular in the thanksgiving demonstrating their names are there as a courtesy, but he really is the sole author. Because the thanksgiving part in Colossians remains in the plural, this tells us that the letter really was from both Paul and Timothy. Another interesting thing is that this section of thanksgiving is interwoven with a prayer of intercession.
Paul is writing to address a problem. But the way that he addresses the problem in Colossae is a stark contrast with how he addresses the problem in Galatia. With Galatia, he knew them personally and was friends with them. He skipped over the small talk and jumped straight into dealing with the problem. Paul was angry and had no problem showing it.
However, with Colossae, Paul does not have a personal relationship with them, so he must first establish a bit of rapport, even though they are the ones coming to him for advice. Paul also establishes a central and foundational theology about Christ before directly addressing the problems. Paul approaches them in a much gentler and teaching manner. And honestly, what a better way to approach a dilemma than to begin with prayer?
Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
3 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
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, 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.
Let’s examine what Paul prays to God about the Colossians. Paul is praying to God, but he is also writing to the Colossian. While it is not uncommon for him to include a prayer in his letters, Paul is very intentional with the wording of his prayers. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians here is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. However, as we study the rest of the letter, we will see it is also a bit of an outline of topics he intends to address with them.
This idea of fullness, being filled with God’s knowledge and power, continues later in Colossians chapter 2. Part of the controversy was that people were turning to other things to aid in their spiritual journey, including other spiritual beings. Paul emphasized the fullness and being filled with God, because Christ is sufficient. Christ is all we need. We don’t need anything else. The whole letter of Colossians is drawing them back to Christ and how Christ is over all things. Even though, we cannot be certain exactly what the Colossian heresy is, we can be certain that it attacked Christ and His role in some way, since Paul’s response is all about Christ and the preeminence of Christ. Next week, we are going to explore a bit more about the Colossian heresy and how elements of it are still prevalent today. Many of the false teachings that Paul stood and argued against are the same ones that we continue to stand and argue against today. They can be persistent, but in the end, they cannot stand up to the truth of Christ.
Prayer and Christ
From today’s passage, I want you to take away two things. First, Christ is all we need. John 14:6 states: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The only way to salvation, to truth, to redemption, to life, to anything good is through Jesus Christ. We all need Christ, and Christ is all we need.
The second take-away is prayer. Whenever we are facing a dilemma, we should begin by praying to God about it. It doesn’t even have to be dealing with a problem. It could just be about next steps or making decisions. Whatever it is, our first step should be prayer. Prayer is not a last resort, but rather it is a beginning. Paul used prayer here in a couple of ways. First, he turned it over to God first and prayed over the people of Colossae. Second, he used it to establish common ground with the Colossians and to demonstrate a oneness of faith in Christ. Third, Paul also used prayer as a way to remind them of the truth of the Gospel. In this short prayer, Paul actually gives two quick reminders of the true Gospel in verses 3-6 and again in verses 12-14. Fourth, Paul begins and ends his prayer talking about Jesus Christ. From start to finish, his goal is to keep the focus on Jesus Christ. Paul does not establish rapport by giving his resume or credence of his own authority, but rather, all his attention and focus is on Christ throughout all of Colossians Chapter One. May your attention, your heart, your focus, and your mind be on Christ in prayer as you go throughout your week.
Challenge:
I want to leave you with a challenge this week. The challenge is to read Colossians chapter one every day this week.
Sermon: Beginning with Prayer by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: July 28, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Colossians 1:1-14
Sermon Notes:
Letter to the Colossians
If Paul had not written his letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae, we probably would have never even known there was a church there. It is not mentioned in Acts or anywhere else in the Bible. Paul himself did not plant the church, and he actually never even visited the church in Colossae. So, how is it that Paul came to write the letter to the Colossians?
Colossae was one of 3 cities located inland about 100 miles from Ephesus. The other two cities are Laodicea and Hierapolis. It is thought that the Christians churches that sprang up from ministries/mission work stemming from the church Paul helped to start in Ephesus. At one point, all 3 cities served as a meeting point between East and West as a major trade route passed through them. They were growing and prosperous. All kinds of philosophies and religions abounded, including a large Jewish colony.
However, by Paul’s time, Colossae had slipped in its prominence, but it was still large enough for Paul to take notice. In turn, Paul’s reputation was known far and wide, and even though he was in prison in Rome, he had many visitors and correspondence. Epaphras, one of the leaders of the church at Colossae, delivered a letter personally to Paul and to confer with him about some issues they were having in the church. The letter to the Colossians is Paul’s response. Epaphras chose to stay with Paul to help him with his work, and someone else delivered the letter.
Structure of the Letter
Ancient letters began with a greeting that typically included the same of the sender, the name of the addressee, and a message of greeting. We find that in Colossians 1:1-2 (ESV):
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Notice that in this case, Timothy assisted Paul in writing the letter. A Jewish message of greeting was typically “shalom”, or “peace”. Paul preferred to emphasize grace, and his letters typically will say “grace and peace” as it does here. Paul’s letters also highlight that the grace and peace stem from God and Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians is the only letter in which “grace and peace” stands alone, and it is unknown as to why Paul does not mention Christ here. It is especially curious since most of Colossians chapter one is all about Christ. In fact, the whole letter is pretty much all about Christ. Perhaps he did it for effect?
The next part of an ancient Greek letter was often an expression of Thanksgiving. When we did our sermon series on Galatians, a few weeks ago, I pointed out that Paul was on a bit of a rant and skipped over the Thanksgiving part. However, in Colossians 1:3-8, Paul does express thanksgiving. The interesting thing about this section is that it is written in the plural. Often when Paul includes others with him in the greeting, he will switch to the singular in the thanksgiving demonstrating their names are there as a courtesy, but he really is the sole author. Because the thanksgiving part in Colossians remains in the plural, this tells us that the letter really was from both Paul and Timothy. Another interesting thing is that this section of thanksgiving is interwoven with a prayer of intercession.
Paul is writing to address a problem. But the way that he addresses the problem in Colossae is a stark contrast with how he addresses the problem in Galatia. With Galatia, he knew them personally and was friends with them. He skipped over the small talk and jumped straight into dealing with the problem. Paul was angry and had no problem showing it.
However, with Colossae, Paul does not have a personal relationship with them, so he must first establish a bit of rapport, even though they are the ones coming to him for advice. Paul also establishes a central and foundational theology about Christ before directly addressing the problems. Paul approaches them in a much gentler and teaching manner. And honestly, what a better way to approach a dilemma than to begin with prayer?
Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
3 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, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
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, 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.
Let’s examine what Paul prays to God about the Colossians. Paul is praying to God, but he is also writing to the Colossian. While it is not uncommon for him to include a prayer in his letters, Paul is very intentional with the wording of his prayers. Paul’s prayer for the Colossians here is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. However, as we study the rest of the letter, we will see it is also a bit of an outline of topics he intends to address with them.
- Paul thanks God for their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints. (verses 3-4)
- Paul reminds them of the Gospel they have been taught. Oh, and, just in case they forgot, the Gospel centers on Jesus Christ, is grounded in the word of truth, and a message of God’s grace for the whole world. (verses 5-6)
- Paul assures the Colossians that he knows of their faith in Jesus Christ, and they have been discipled as a part of the church body. (verses 7-8)
- Paul prays that the Colossians are filled with God’s knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding. Right knowledge leads to right behavior. So, if they are filled with knowledge of God, this should lead to godly behavior, or living in a manner that is worthy of or pleasing to the Lord as it states in verse 10. (Verses 9-10)
- Then, Paul prays they may be filled with God’s power so that they may endure or persevere and be patient and joyful. Such power would enable them to stand firm against any trials and oppositions. Paul’s reference to endurance and patience here would have stood in contrast to Stoic thinking which would have been prevalent at the time. Stoics would have been able to endure discomfort calmly and without complaint. However, the difference is they would not have been singing hymns of praise in their jail cells like Paul and Silas did. There is a quote that states, “Theology is grace and ethics is gratitude. If God’s action and attitude toward His people have been characterized by grace, their response to Him, in life and conduct as well as in thought and word, should be characterized by gratitude.” (Bruce, F.F.?) Paul emphasizes that not only should we be patient and persevere but that we should do so with joy and gratitude. (verses 11-12)
- Paul ends his prayer with the promise and hope of salvation, restoration, and redemption found in Christ as well as what Christ did for us. This is a bit of a Gospel summary. It serves as both an anchor and a transition into the next passage about Christ. (verses 13-14)
This idea of fullness, being filled with God’s knowledge and power, continues later in Colossians chapter 2. Part of the controversy was that people were turning to other things to aid in their spiritual journey, including other spiritual beings. Paul emphasized the fullness and being filled with God, because Christ is sufficient. Christ is all we need. We don’t need anything else. The whole letter of Colossians is drawing them back to Christ and how Christ is over all things. Even though, we cannot be certain exactly what the Colossian heresy is, we can be certain that it attacked Christ and His role in some way, since Paul’s response is all about Christ and the preeminence of Christ. Next week, we are going to explore a bit more about the Colossian heresy and how elements of it are still prevalent today. Many of the false teachings that Paul stood and argued against are the same ones that we continue to stand and argue against today. They can be persistent, but in the end, they cannot stand up to the truth of Christ.
Prayer and Christ
From today’s passage, I want you to take away two things. First, Christ is all we need. John 14:6 states: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The only way to salvation, to truth, to redemption, to life, to anything good is through Jesus Christ. We all need Christ, and Christ is all we need.
The second take-away is prayer. Whenever we are facing a dilemma, we should begin by praying to God about it. It doesn’t even have to be dealing with a problem. It could just be about next steps or making decisions. Whatever it is, our first step should be prayer. Prayer is not a last resort, but rather it is a beginning. Paul used prayer here in a couple of ways. First, he turned it over to God first and prayed over the people of Colossae. Second, he used it to establish common ground with the Colossians and to demonstrate a oneness of faith in Christ. Third, Paul also used prayer as a way to remind them of the truth of the Gospel. In this short prayer, Paul actually gives two quick reminders of the true Gospel in verses 3-6 and again in verses 12-14. Fourth, Paul begins and ends his prayer talking about Jesus Christ. From start to finish, his goal is to keep the focus on Jesus Christ. Paul does not establish rapport by giving his resume or credence of his own authority, but rather, all his attention and focus is on Christ throughout all of Colossians Chapter One. May your attention, your heart, your focus, and your mind be on Christ in prayer as you go throughout your week.
Challenge:
I want to leave you with a challenge this week. The challenge is to read Colossians chapter one every day this week.
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