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The Apostle’s Colossal Prayer

By 1in1000 | July 6, 2008

The Apostle’s Colossal Prayer by Kevin Hoffman

This morning I want to share with you what I call The Apostle’s Colossal Prayer.
This is the prayer that Paul prayed for the Believers at Colosse.

Although these folks had an accurate general knowledge of the Gospel someone had come to their congregation and begun to distort its truth. Epephras, their founder and pastor went to Paul to get advice and prayer for the situation.

There are really only two main points to this prayer and then the fruits of those things worked out in their lives

As Paul writes to the church, he begins by praying for them and he says these words;
Colossians 1:9 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;

  1. We look at the Greek word pleroo that is translated “filled” here and see that it has the idea of total saturation, like the glass that is so full, the liquid actually crowns slightly above the lip and you cannot move it without it spilling.
    1. We fill ourselves with so much these days, sports scores, entertainment, trivia…. Irrelevant information.
  1. You say, “Heathen?”
  2. When I say a “heathen” I mean virtually godless.
  3. Not that I didn’t “believe” in God, but He had little or nothing to do with my thoughts or decisions.
  4. I had no “knowledge” of Him or His will for me.
  5. He was sort of a nebulous idea that was out there somewhere.

Before I became a Christian I lived for the music that I loved. I knew not just the bands and songs that I liked, but Who wrote which songs, when they switched record labels, what brand of instruments they played as well as where they came from, etc.
When I became a Christian and began to read my Bible, I sort of inadvertently prayed this prayer, “If I only knew as much about You Word as I know about the music I listen to, that would be something.”
God has answered that prayer, not by some magic, instantaneous miracle, but by giving me grace and due diligence in studying not only the Bible, but how to understand and interpret it.

So what is contained in thus “knowledge of His will” that we are to be filled with?

  1. You may recognize it in the English word agnostic which is actually a transliteration of the Greek word ginosko that is prefixed with the letter a which is a negative particle and so it means no knowledge or doesn’t know.
  2. An agnostic is one who alleges that there is not enough information to make the decision as to whether there is or is not a God and so he doesn’t know if there is One?
  3. However Paul uses a more technical word here, epiginosko which has to do with precise and correct knowledge
  4. If the agnostic had this kind of knowledge rather than his own biased knowledge he might come to realize that the evidence is overwhelming.
  5. A preacher that I like says that an atheist or agnostic can’t find God for the same reason a thief can’t find a police man. He does not want to be accountable.

Remember, there are people in this church trying to distort the truth about God and Jesus Christ. Many do this today, but it is nothing new.
In Colosse they are trying to say that Jesus is not enough, that there is some secret special knowledge that is needed and that He is some sort of angel or spirit being among others that need to be bought off in order to gain His favor and that the Jewish ceremonies are a part of that.

  1. Eastern Mysticism that worships spirits and angels and is superstitious about them affecting their lives.
  2. Greek Philosophy that likes special knowledge and rites, needs to be a part of the right group and thinks that physical things are evil.
  3. Jewish Legalism that teaches that works are what gets you in with God and that the Old Testament Law is what is required.
  1. The epiginosko.
  2. “I am praying that you get it!”

As we are filled with the precise and accurate Knowledge of God’s will, what are some of the things we need to know?
God’s will, it seems is often regarded as the most illusive thing in the universe.

  1. Often times, like the atheist who can’t find God, we can’t find His will because we really value ours more that His.

As we understand His will and live it, we will walk in a manner that pleases Him and bear fruit and He will increase our capacity to know He will make our glass bigger.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
God’s will for those who know Him is that we would live for Him and not for ourselves! 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

The next point that Paul prays for comes from the first and is that these Believers are being …
Colossians 1:11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
With the knowledge of God’s will and living for Him comes strength, endurance and patience and joy. Can anyone here use strength endurance and patience and joy??

  1. We are strengthened with ALL power, that is not to say that we become omnipotent, but that we have all we need.

The Bible tells us that as Christians we have the power to:
Deal with temptation
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Deal with trials
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Confront the unbelieving world
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith.

  1. Another bit of Greek is helpful here,
    1. we are strengthened, Greek is Dunamis, doing a great work.
    2. According to His glorious might, Greek Kratos, which is dominion.
  2. We are strengthened not only by God’s ability, but by His authority.
    1. Mark 6:7 And [Jesus] called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts- 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics
    2. This word from which we get power here is exousia in the Greek and has the idea of freedom to exercise ability.
    3. God gave them this power over both the spiritual and physical realms
    4. Power over unclean spirits
    5. Power to supply their physical needs.

How confident are you in God?

  1. Abraham was childless at age 99 and God had promised that he would be the father of many nations and the progenitor of the Messiah.
  2. God says, I will do this thing, trust Me!
  3. Abraham’s obedience is based on God’s power!
  4. In Romans 4:20 [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
  5. His confidence in God’s ability gave him the ability to persevere even when things didn’t look good.

MARTYRDOM OF IGNATIUS from John Fox
Trajan is emperor
Third Persecution
108 - 130?
- In this persecution suffered the blessed martyr, Ignatius, who is held in famous reverence among very many. This Ignatius was appointed to the bishopric of Antioch next after Peter in succession. Some do say, that he, being sent from Syria to Rome, because he professed Christ, was given to the wild beasts to be devoured. It is also said of him, that when he passed through Asia, being under the most strict custody of his keepers, he strengthened and confirmed the churches through all the cities as he went, both with his exhortations and preaching of the Word of God. Accordingly, having come to Smyrna, he wrote to the Church at Rome, exhorting them not to use means for his deliverance from martyrdom, lest they should deprive him of that which he most longed and hoped for. “Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus!” And even when he was sentenced to be thrown to the beasts, such as the burning desire that he had to suffer, that he spake, what time he heard the lions roaring, saying: “I am the wheat of Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread.”

God’s power in us does not enable us to call down fire from heaven or to make our troubles go away, rather it gives us the ability to endure the temptations and trials of this world as we trust in His power and authority.

Colossians 1:11b gives this very intended result, “for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”

We need to rejoice in the sufferings of this present world as we receive our strength from God because He has in His power and authority granted us this thing that was completely beyond our own power.

  1. This is the word exousia again, darkness had its way with us until we were freed by the power of God!
  2. That takes some serious power!
  3. Ephesians 2:1-3
  1. When we trust Christ, He puts us under a new authority making Himself our King.
  2. Paul prays a similar prayer at the beginning of the book of Ephesians asking that they would know…, Ephesians 1:19 “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

This is power that was sufficient to deal with our sin is sufficient to deal with the trials of this life too.

  1. health
  2. wealth
  3. good relationships
  4. their best life now!

If there were no trials or temptations in this world, no need for His power in our lives, what would faith be?

So do you trust God today?
Are you expecting Him to remove all of your trials, or to give you the power to endure them??

And so we see in the Apostle’s Colossal prayer that we should be like the Colossians

  1. Walk worthily, pleasing God and bearing fruit because of that knowledge.
  1. Creating joy in what God’s power had done for us in the Gospel and will do for us in our trials and temptations.

Topics: Colossians, New Testament, Practical Advice, Uncategorized |

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