Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien

July 17, 2022

INTRO (SLIDE 1)

1. Good morning! We are continuing through our series called “Paul’s Prayers” and we are now halfway through summer. Can you believe it?

2. One of the unique things about living in a climate like Minnesota with a long and deep winter is the incredible contrast between seasons. (SLIDE 2) The high temperature tomorrow is supposed to reach 94 degrees. That is 111 degrees warmer than it was on the coldest day in January!

3. Something that continually amazes me when I reflect on God’s creation and observe the changing of seasons is how prolific and abundant the summer months are in this region.

4. In a few short weeks in May, everything turns green and springs to life! You just blink, and the trees are flowering, the crops are sprouting, and everything is exploding with growth. The fruitfulness of summer in Minnesota is incredible!

5. Yet, the growth and abundance of summer in Minnesota is just a small taste of the fruitfulness of God’s creation across the globe. You see, the millions of types of plants and animals, the abundance of rain forests, the diversity of climates in different regions of the world, all these things are not an accident. They are a reflection of the abundance and creativity of the Creator God who is the source of all life.

6. (SLIDE 3) This morning, we are going to look at a prayer from the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians that is perfect for the season of summer in Minnesota. In this prayer, Paul describes the fruitfulness of the gospel and praises God for the growth of the message of truth throughout the whole world. And he prays that you and I would spring to life and grow in a gospel-centered fruitfulness in every part of who we are.

   1. This is very near to my heart because I deeply desire that God will do a work in your heart and in your life to see gospel-fruitfulness that glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.

   2. Just like Paul, I am thankful for the work God has done to redeem us. But I pray every week for you, that you would grow closer to the Lord, that he would strengthen you and provide for you, and that you would know his will and walk in his ways.

Let’s look at Paul’s prayer. Open with me to Colossians 1:3-14.

PROP — This is Paul’s main theme in this prayer: (SLIDE 4a) He prays for a life of gospel-centered fruitfulness that is pleasing to the Lord and reflects our true inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s read our text today. (SLIDE 4b) READ Colossians 1:3-14.

ORG SENT — This prayer is made up of two parts: Thanksgiving (vv. 3-8) and a Request (vv. 9-14). These two sections are tied together by the phrase “For this reason.” Paul’s prayer request flows out of his thankfulness for the gospel-transformation that has happened in the Colossian church.

BACKGROUND (SLIDE 5a)

1. Now, it’s really important that we know a bit of background here about the church in the ancient Greek city of Colossae. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church while he was in prison in Rome around 61 AD. (SLIDE 5b)

2. If you were to read the rest of this letter, it becomes evident that Paul was writing to address some kind of false teaching that was undermining the true message of the gospel. (SLIDE 5c) Paul focuses on the supremacy of Christ, the centrality of the cross, and the real transformation that happens when we follow Jesus.

3. We don’t know the exact content of the false teaching, but we can tell by what Paul writes that these Christians had compromised their beliefs and been led astray into something that claimed the name “Christianity,” but was clearly not aligned with the Lordship of Jesus.

4. One commentator I read this week said, (SLIDE 5d) “The most dangerous part of the false teaching in Colossae was that it wore the mask of ‘Christianity.’ It did not deny Christ, but it did dethrone him. It gave Christ a place, but not the supreme place.”

   1. APPLY — Friends, this is exactly what happens today. There are churches and denominations today that claim the name “Christianity,” but have dethroned Jesus and substituted idols of pop-culture issues, political planks, or new definitions of moral truth. You can find a YouTube preacher, podcaster, or website to suit any version of “Christianity” that sounds appealing.

   2. How did Paul combat this? He begins this letter with a specific prayer that elevates the lordship of Jesus, points us to the true gospel, and calls us to know God’s will and surrender to his ways.

   3. You see, Paul painted a positive picture of what gospel-centered fruitfulness looks like under the supremacy of Christ.

MAIN 1 — Thanksgiving (vv. 3-8). (SLIDE 6a)

1. Paul and Timothy, who are named in verse 1 as the senders of this letter, had never personally visited Colossae. It was likely that Epaphras was converted to Christianity through Paul’s ministry in nearby Ephesus, and then Epaphras was sent by Paul as a missionary to the Lycus Valley to evangelize the cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

2. I think this is so cool, because it shows how important missions work is! (SLIDE 6b) Epaphras was an early missionary, learning how to spread the gospel from Paul, and he went to a new region to tell others about Jesus.

3. This is why Paul says in verse 4 that he gives thanks when he “heard” of their faith in Jesus and their love for all God’s people. Word had spread that there was a movement of the Spirit of God in that city and many people had come to a saving faith in Jesus.

4. Remember, we can learn some things about prayer by observing how Paul prays. Did you notice how Paul grounds this prayer of thanks in the future hope of heaven? In verses 5 and 12 he grounds his prayer for gospel transformation in the present by reminding us of the secure hope we have in the new heaven and new earth in the future! (SLIDE 6c)

   1. You see when Paul prays, he prays in light of heaven. Let me ask you: Do you pray in light of heaven? Friends, we live with a different perspective than the world; we live with a different timeline than the world, and a different hope. Every concern, every crisis, every celebration, and every request can be placed into the context of God’s grand plan to make all things new.

   2. You see, Paul’s thankfulness is rooted in what God has done to redeem these believers, but also in the bigger picture of what God is doing to spread the message of the gospel and to bring all of history to its climax and conclusion under the Lordship of Jesus.

   3. It is in light of this grand reality, the reality of God’s redemptive work across the world that includes these believers in Colossae, that Paul make his specific request.

MAIN 2 — Request (vv. 9-14). (SLIDE 7a)

1. You can see how he transitions here: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.” What is the petition that Paul prays? “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understand that the Spirit gives.” (SLIDE 7b)

2. His main prayer request is that these believers would know God’s will. What exactly is “God’s will”? We need to pause here to try to understand this concept of God’s will.

   1. Sometimes, we think of God’s will as a personal, individualized, perfect path that God has marked out for each of us that we need to discover and be careful not to violate or he will be upset with us. This kind of thinking makes us nervous that we won’t pick the right spouse, or that we may not choose the right career, or that we may make a mistake by not doing the specific things God want me to do.

      1. The problem with this definition of God’s will is that it isn’t very well supported in the Bible. It actually makes God’s intentions and goodness confusing and it causes us to stress about whether we can discover the perfect path and make God happy.

   2. Instead, there is a theologian named Garry Friesen who wrote a book a few decades ago called “Decision Making and the Will of God” (SLIDE 7c) where he explains that the Bible emphasizes two ways to understand God’s will:

      1. God’s sovereign will = (SLIDE 7d) His perfect plan and perfect ability to cause all of history to achieve his purposes. God’s sovereign will is eternal, but is revealed as history unfolds, and we can trust that his sovereignty is supreme and will prevail.

      2. God’s moral will = (SLIDE 7e) His revealed design and revealed commands that teach us the right way to live. God’s moral will is practical, it is knowable, it is understandable, and it is something we can learn to be obedient to, and it applies generally to every person in every culture and every circumstance.

      3. APPLY — Here’s what this means for me and you: Every one of us, indeed all of creation, lives under God’s sovereign will all the time. But you have a choice whether you will pursue living under God’s moral will, surrendering to the work of the Spirit of God in your life to conform you to be like Jesus.

   3. You see, when Paul prays that God would “fill you with the knowledge of his will” he wants these believers to open their eyes to the bigger picture of God’s plan for history, and then to see all the richness and beauty and dimensions of how their lives can be changed to come in line with how God designed us to live for his glory.

   4. How are we going to do this? Not by our own wisdom or understanding! Just look at the end of verse 9: “through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.”

      1. We need the sanctifying work of the Spirit within us to give us wisdom and reveal to us the understanding required to know God’s will.

   5. And what is the result of knowing God’s will? (SLIDE 7f) Verse 10 tells us that the whole goal of knowing God’s will isn’t primarily about us…it is about glorifying and pleasing the Lord Jesus. Just look at how the text describes with such beautiful language the characteristics of a life that pleases God. READ vv. 10-12.

      1. Bearing fruit, growing in knowledge, being strengthened with power, and giving joyful thanks…these are possible because God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness, he has forgiven our sins, and brought us into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!

APPLY

1. I want to get really practical here, because I believe these four characteristics of a life that pleases God are a wonderful launching point to describe the goals of how we do discipleship at our church. (SLIDE 8a)

2. I long for each of you to have a gospel-centered fruitfulness (SLIDE 8b), to grow in your knowledge of God (SLIDE 8c), to be strengthened with God’s power so that you can have endurance and patience (SLIDE 8d), and that you would daily give thanks to God because of the salvation you have received through Jesus Christ. (SLIDE 8e)

3. As we grow as a church, I want to make sure we disciple people well. As we learned earlier this morning, in the face of theological compromise and the conflating of Christianity with idols in our culture, it is critical that we elevate Jesus as Lord and Savior, that we be committed to the true gospel, and that we surrender to God’s ways and pursue deep discipleship so that we are sanctified, equipped, and fruitful for God’s glory.

4. There are many opportunities for discipleship here at our church. Our Elders and leaders have been prayerfully discussing how we can expand and strengthen these ministry opportunities this year.

   1. You see, we already have a Disciple Making Pathway. (SLIDE 9) We want everyone to Get Connected, Get Grounded, Get Healthy, Get Strong, and Get Going.

   2. But many of you have asked me, “But where do I actually DO these things? What are the relational spaces within which I can pursue discipleship?”

5. I want to have a little fun with this. We have four major areas of ministry where we pursue disciple making, and I’d like to use some metaphors that will help explain each area as we take a “Disciple Making Voyage” together. (SLIDES 10-13) EXPLAIN HANDOUT.

   1. You see, my prayer is that everyone at our church is involved in these opportunities for disciple making.

   2. If you think you may want to get involved, maybe as a Growth Group leader or maybe you want to start an Emmaus Group, please come talk to me!

   3. And for those of you who are detail people, I have copies of this handout and further explanations for each of the four ministry areas. Our Elder Team has prayed and worked hard to provide the path forward for growing and strengthening these opportunities for gospel-centered discipleship.

6. (SLIDE 14, blank) Let me close with a prayer using the words of Paul to encourage you to pursue deeper discipleship here with our church family.