Now, can you turn with me in your Bibles back to the book of Colossians, Paul's letter to the Colossians,
and we're going to read his prayer, verse 9 to verse 14, as we think together about living to please the Lord.
So Colossians chapter 1 and at verse 9.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way,
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might,
so that you may have great endurance and patience,
and giving joyful thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
So if you have your Bible, keep it open there as we continue to think through Colossians chapter 1.
Let me begin with an observation,
and it's this,
how we think about Jesus shapes how we live for Jesus.
I want to begin with a letter I read this week,
written by a chap at the age of 66,
and he wrote this,
as he spoke about the work of God in his life.
Did he not redeem and deliver me from being a slave in Africa?
Take me up from the dunghill of sin and misery?
Put me among the princes, even his own children?
Tame the fierce tiger in my heart,
and give me a name, a place, and service in his house.
The author of that letter,
the author of many hundreds of wonderful gospel-rich letters,
was John Newton,
the author of the famous hymn Amazing Grace,
which we'll sing at the end.
John Newton, the former slave owner,
who actually himself became a slave in Africa
before being converted,
becoming a pastor,
working to end slavery in the UK.
And what I find so lovely about this letter,
written by him in those days,
the late 1700s,
fairly elderly man,
he still had that sense of joy in knowing Jesus.
That song of amazing grace
was one that he still sung in his heart.
He was somebody who was joyfully serving Jesus decades later.
It's always a wonderful thing to see.
We know in our own church
the wonderful privilege of seeing
older, mature Christians
who have walked with Jesus for many years
and continue to do so joyfully.
In many ways, I think he matches,
John Newton matches,
the sentiments of Paul, the apostle.
Paul, who would talk about himself
as the chief of sinners,
described himself as a blasphemer
and a persecutor and a violent man.
And yet God showed him grace and mercy
so that he would say,
for me to live is Christ
and to die is gain.
How we think about Jesus
shapes how we live for Jesus.
And that takes us to Paul's prayer here.
Because what we'll see
is that Paul is praying
that the believers here
would know God's will
so that they would do God's will.
And God's will is here expressed
as walking worthy of Jesus
and living to please Jesus
and to do that because of God's saving grace.
So let's see this together.
Let's think, first of all,
about living to please Jesus.
Verses 9 to 12,
we focus on Paul's prayer.
But before we do that,
almost as a by-the-by,
let's just think for a minute
about training in language.
So think about parents
perhaps training their children
in a language
or you're perhaps trying to encourage someone
to learn another language.
How does that process happen?
Well, there is a listening in
and there's attempts at repeating,
copying words and phrases
and then adapting them
for their own use.
And I think that process
of language learning
is helpful whenever we come
to the prayers
that we find in the Bible
because I guess as Christians,
if we're Christians,
many of us will have found ourselves
thinking, asking, saying,
I wish I had a better prayer life.
I wish I had a way
to pray for myself
and for others
and the church.
I don't feel particularly good
at prayer.
I'm sure we can probably
all resonate with that
at some point in our lives.
Jesus' disciples, of course,
turned to Jesus
recognizing his unique relationship
with the Father
and they said,
Lord, teach us to pray.
And perhaps it's always been the case
that in the church
there's that desire
to want to grow in prayer
and for centuries
what the church has done
is we have learned
from the language of prayer
that we find in the Bible.
That's why Jesus gave
the Lord's Prayer.
Christians down
through the centuries
have used the Psalms
to form their own
prayer language.
And then we have
the models of prayer
that we find in the Bible.
For example,
Paul's one here.
So even as we're thinking
about what he prays,
perhaps we can also be conscious
of here is a way
that I can learn
to develop
in my own prayers.
One of the things
that we recognize,
verse 9,
if you look at the way
Paul begins there,
he says,
For this reason,
since the day we heard about you,
we have not stopped
praying for you.
And again,
it's significant.
Paul is praying
for a church
that he's never met.
He knows Epaphras,
but he doesn't know the church.
And so here's a connection
for us.
You know,
we have the privilege,
I'm saying this to someone
this week,
and in Beclu,
we have the privilege
of welcoming
for different times
people involved
in ministry and mission
all over the world.
And we may not know
their congregations
or their ministries,
but we know the leaders
so we can pray
for those that they serve.
So this can help us
as we think about mission
and connecting it
to our prayer.
But we also see
that he says,
We have not stopped
praying for you.
There's a consistency.
These things
that are important
to Paul
are things
that he's going
to commit
to praying
for regularly.
Here are some principles
that he wants
to see established
in God's people,
so he's going
to bring them
to God regularly.
So even there,
before we even get
to what Paul's praying
for,
there are lessons
for us
in how we ourselves
pray for others.
And again,
just before we get
into how Paul prays,
let's just frame this
in the context
of another form
of training.
So we train people
in language,
but we were those
who were trained
in politeness,
and as parents,
again,
we train our children
towards politeness,
don't we?
From a very early age,
we want our children
to appreciate
if someone does
something for you,
if somebody gives
something,
the polite response
is to say,
thank you.
Now,
apply that to
what we have here,
and we can say
that when we understand
that God has given
his one and only
son for us
to qualify us
for an eternal
inheritance,
when he has rescued
and redeemed us
at the cost
of his son Jesus,
then our lives
as the people of God
ought to become
one big thank you.
Worship as thankfulness,
obedience as thankfulness.
Now,
having said all that,
let's look at
what Paul prays,
and let's think about
what it looks like
when Paul says
to aim to walk
worthy of Jesus
as Lord
because of
what he's done
for us
in the gospel.
So,
what does Paul pray?
Verse 9,
we find his request.
The second sentence there,
or the beginning
of sentence 2,
we continually
ask God
to fill you
with the knowledge
of his will
through all the wisdom
and understanding
that the Spirit gives.
What's he praying?
He's praying for believers
to know
God's will,
to have that wisdom
that comes from
God,
the Holy Spirit,
so that they might,
as it were,
think God's thoughts
after him.
Now,
it may be the case
when we hear
that phrase,
you know,
God's will,
what's God's will
for my life,
we might think
of something
that's very personal,
we might think
of choices
that we have to make,
it might be about
our future,
career,
relationship,
that can be
where our mind goes,
but the emphasis
typically in
God's word
is that we would
know God's word,
that's God's will,
that we would know
him in his word,
and that we would
have the wisdom
to apply God's word
to our lives,
that the Holy Spirit
would help us to know
how to live wisely,
applying God's word
in everyday life.
Three things we can say
about the Spirit,
the Spirit inspired
the writing of God's word,
and that same Spirit
then in the life
of a believer
illuminates God's word,
lights it up for us,
so we can see it come alive,
and we can understand
how it applies to us,
and the Spirit also
instructs us
in wisdom
so that we can
in very practical ways
show love
and obedience
to God
in our day-to-day life.
So that's what Paul
is praying for.
We need to ask the question,
why does he pray that?
Why does that matter?
Well, look with me
at verse 10.
He explains it.
We've not stopped
praying for you
so that
you may live a life
worthy of the Lord
and please him
in every way.
To know God's will
so that believers
in the Lord Jesus
would then do
God's will.
Specifically,
that we would walk
worthy of the Lord Jesus.
That we would live
to please him
always.
praise.
Perhaps we can think
of it this way.
Think about
the setting
of a family.
Christians are called
into the family
of God.
God is our Father,
Jesus,
our Savior,
our elder brother.
Paul is praying
that we wouldn't,
as Christians,
drag the name of Jesus
through the mud,
but positively
we would bring glory
to him.
That we wouldn't bring
shame on our God
and Father,
but rather we would
honor him
in our everyday lives.
Paul prays for Christians
to know and do
what pleases Jesus
in every way,
in all of life.
So,
not just the religious part,
how do I live for Jesus
on Sunday?
Disconnect that
from Monday to Friday.
Not just how do I
please Jesus
when it's convenient
and comfortable.
How do I please Jesus
in every way,
in every setting?
It made me think
of that famous phrase
from the Dutch
theologian Kuiper.
I don't think that's
how you say it,
but anyway,
that's how I'm going
for it.
He said,
there is no square inch
over all of creation
in which Jesus
does not say,
mine.
The lordship of Jesus
is absolute.
And if that's the case,
then we can say,
and Paul,
in effect,
is saying to us,
remember
that there is no square inch
of our lives
over which Jesus
does not say,
mine.
And so wisdom
looks like,
how do I live
to please Jesus
in this particular situation,
in this relationship?
Paul's prayer,
in a sense,
is that as Christians
and as a church,
there would be
this guiding principle.
What would please Jesus?
Perhaps we remember
those wristbands.
What would Jesus do?
What would please Jesus
as guiding principle?
What does walking
worthy of Jesus
look like here,
in my workplace,
in my family situation,
as I face this experience?
So, we pray,
and we ask the Spirit
to lead us,
in a sense,
to ask that question
in the first place,
because if we're honest,
there are times
when living to please Jesus
falls down
our priority list.
So, we ask for the Spirit
to remind us,
that's our calling,
and then we ask
for the Spirit
to help us
to have the wisdom
to answer the question well,
so that we might
represent Jesus
well in the world.
And to think about
what that looks like,
Paul draws attention
to four particular
aspects.
So, continuing in verse 10,
we see four elements
mentioned
about what it looks like
to live worthy of a Lord
and please Him
in every way.
The first of those,
in verse 10,
is bearing fruit
in every good work.
That if we are wanting
to live to please Jesus,
we will want to do good
to bless others.
Really, to follow
the pattern of Jesus.
Perhaps it's helpful
here to think about
the image that Jesus
uses in John 15,
I am the vine
and you are
the branches
that we will bear fruit
when we are abiding
in Christ
by the Spirit.
That's a prayer point
for this church
in Colossae.
That's a prayer point
for our church also.
That we as Christians,
we as a church,
may bear the fruit
of good work.
So that's one way
that we can live
to please Jesus.
Then he goes on
to say,
at the end of verse 10,
to pray that they would be
growing
in the knowledge
of God.
Growing
in knowledge.
It's a reminder
that our Christian faith
is not about
a static relationship.
I came to faith
at this point
and I know God
to this extent
and that's me done.
Rather,
because God is infinite
and eternal,
there's always more
to know
and he invites us
to know more
and to delight
in that knowledge
and to grow
in that knowledge
of him.
Not for knowledge's sake,
that we'd know him better
so we'd know
how to please him.
When we think about,
I guess,
any friendship
or a family relationship
where we know someone
or we're getting
to know somebody well,
we will find ourselves
instinctively
studying.
Studying to know
what pleases
the other person.
Likes, dislikes,
what pleases
another person,
what makes them
happy.
We grow
in the knowledge
of God
and his word
so that we might
know how to live
to please him.
So there's another
prayer point
that Paul has
that we can
wisely introduce
to our own prayers
that our church
might grow
to know
and love
God
more.
The third
way
in which
as Christians
we can live
to please Jesus
we find
in verse 11.
Being strengthened
with all power
according to his
glorious might
so that you may
have great endurance
and patience.
Living with
endurance
and patience.
Faith
to stand
in the face
of opposition
or persecution.
A faith
that continues
to hope
in Jesus
through the trials
that come
into our lives.
A faith
that clings
to our solid
future hope
when we suffer.
faith
that trusts
our good shepherd
to care for us
to provide for us
to walk
with us.
And so Paul
prays
that the church
would be
strengthened
with God's
power and grace
so that they
might continue
to run the race
with patience
recognizing that
faith is a marathon
and not a sprint.
That
as
they
begun
the race
of faith
that they
would finish
it
with the
help
that God
provides.
And again
what a wonderful
prayer
for ourselves
to pray
for one another
in our church
that we would
stand firm
in faith
that we'd be
strengthened
by the grace
of God
to endure
to hold on
and not to fold.
The fourth way
that Paul
gives
or Paul
prays for
as he seeks
for God's
people to live
worthy of
Jesus.
Verse 12
giving joyful
thanks
to the
Father.
A heart
that's full
of love
and gratitude
and thankfulness
worship
and deep
joy
rooted
in their
relationship
with
God.
A life
lived out
of God's
love
for them
in and
through
the Lord
Jesus
leading to
thankfulness
and joy.
Should be a
mark of
God's people.
Should be a
mark of
a church
that we
have a joy
that runs
deeper than
happiness
rooted in
circumstance.
A joy
because we
know that we
know our
God and
he knows
us
and that
our future
is secure
and that we
have the love
of God
and we have
peace with
God.
And so
again we
can pray
for our
church to
be a
place of
gospel driven
joy and
thankfulness.
Living to
please
Jesus
is something
that clearly
mattered to
Paul and it
matters to
God and so
he prays.
And now let's
notice how he
frames it.
he asks that
they would
live to
please
Jesus
in light
of the
gospel.
That's where
he shifts in
verses 12
to 14.
Why would
we live to
please Jesus
in every way?
Why make
the effort?
Why commit
for the long
haul?
Why have
loyalty and
love to
Jesus?
Paul says
because of
the gospel.
Because of
what God
has done
for us
in Jesus.
Because
specifically
here
verse 12
God has
qualified us
to share
in his
eternal
inheritance
through Jesus.
Verse 13
because he
has rescued
us from
the dominion
of darkness.
And verse
14 because
in Jesus
we have
redemption.
So let's
think about
these.
Recognizing
that they
transform
life in
the present
and life
in the
future.
Verse 12
the Father
through Jesus
has qualified
us.
He has
qualified you
to share
in the
inheritance
of his
holy people
in the
kingdom
of light.
Qualified
for that
inheritance
as part
of God's
family,
his holy
people.
There is a
treasure
stored up
for us
in heaven
who ultimately
is Jesus
himself.
that
inheritance
of living
in the
kingdom
of light
looking
forward
to that
future
kingdom,
God's
kingdom,
life with
him and
with his
son Jesus
forever.
That's
our
inheritance.
And he's
going to make
clear that that
comes to us
because of what
God has done
for us in
Jesus in
rescuing us.
But he
reminds the
church that
the gospel
speaks good
news and
says to us
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ we
are
children of
God.
There is a
treasure in
heaven stored
up for us
and the
basis for
that
inheritance
claim has
nothing to do
with us and
everything to
do with
Jesus and
his saving
work that
we have
applied to
us by
faith.
It's a
remarkable
truth when
we stop
and think
about it.
We think
about our
God who
is our
God.
God is
holy.
God is
sinless.
He is
perfect.
He cannot
bear sin.
We think
about our
own lives
and we
know that
we are
sinful by
nature.
We are
disqualified
by nature.
We have
no claim
to this
eternal
inheritance.
So how
does it
come to
us?
And that's
where he
goes next.
He reminds
us that
God has
rescued us.
Verse
13.
He has
rescued us
from the
dominion of
darkness
and brought
us into
the kingdom
of the
Son he
loves.
Rescued
from dominion,
rescued from
being in
the grip of
a hostile
power,
brought into
the kingdom
of light,
the kingdom
of the
Son he
loves.
There's
been a
transfer of
kingdoms that
takes place
in the
gospel.
perhaps we
might think
of a
prisoner of
war camp,
a soldier
who becomes
a prisoner
or a slave
in another
country with
no way of
escape,
locked in
darkness
until the
forces of
liberation
come.
The Bible
would say
that by
nature we
are prisoners
of war.
We live
in the
kingdom of
darkness,
ruled by
the devil,
slaves to
sin.
Not just
the things
we do,
but our
sin nature.
Because of
that, by
nature we
are enemies
of God,
we are
opposed to
God and
his rule
and his
word,
and because
of that we
find ourselves
under the
just judgment
of God
and heading
for death
and eternal
separation
from God.
The dominion
of darkness
is real
and it's
serious.
But then we
have the good
news of
God's
action.
What has
God done?
Verse 13,
he's rescued
us through
his son
Jesus.
We've been
delivered by
faith out
of the
prison camp
into a
kingdom of
perfect
freedom.
God's
kingdom of
light and
love.
How does
this rescue
happen?
Verse 14
tells us.
In whom,
in the
son,
we have
redemption,
the
forgiveness
of sins.
The Bible
speaks a
fair bit
about
redemption
and we
still speak
about it
today.
The price
paid to
buy
something
back,
the price
paid to
buy
someone
back,
thinking
about the
Old
Testament.
A person
could find
themselves
falling into
hard times
when he
had to
sell
their
land,
but they
or someone
else could
save up
money and
pay the
redemption
price to
buy the
land back.
Or they
might find
themselves
falling into
debt so
great that
they had to
sell themselves
into slavery
to work for
another person.
Well,
again,
they could,
or a
family member
could pay a
redemption
price to
be set
free.
And what
Paul does
is he takes
this idea
of redemption
and he makes
clear that the
debt we owe
is the debt
of our
sin.
Jesus said
the great
commandment
is love
the Lord
your God
with all
your heart
and with
all your
soul and
all your
mind and
all your
strength.
And our
failure to
do that
is that
debt
that we
pile up.
Jesus said
the second
great
commandment
is to
love our
neighbor as
ourselves.
With the
same amount
of energy
and effort
that we
apply to
caring for
ourselves,
we are to
care for
our neighbor.
And our
failure to
do that,
again,
is building
up a
debt of
sin.
And that's
a debt
that we
could never
repay
ourselves.
The
gospel says
there is a
redemption price
that has
been paid,
and it's
been paid
in and
through the
blood of
Jesus on
the cross.
In chapter
2 of
Colossians,
Paul takes
us there in
picture language.
If you look
with me,
chapter 2,
halfway through
verse 13,
we find
there,
God made
you alive
with Christ.
He forgave
us all
our sins,
having
canceled the
charge of
our legal
indebtedness.
So there's
the gospel,
forgiveness,
and a debt
canceled,
that debt
which stood
against us
and condemned
us.
So there's
that honesty.
Because of
our sin,
we stand
justly
condemned
because of
that debt.
But what
has God
done?
He has
taken it
away,
nailing it
to the
cross.
And having
disarmed
the powers
and authorities,
he made
a public
spectacle of
them,
triumphing
over them
by the
cross.
Sometimes
when in
the Roman
Empire,
when they
were executing
a prisoner
on the
cross,
they would
nail above
that person's
head the
charges.
This is the
reason why
this person
is being
condemned
to death.
A warning,
don't find
yourself doing
likewise.
Well,
what does
Paul do?
To help
us understand
the gospel,
he says,
at the
cross,
that record
of debt
that should
be over
our heads
is pinned
over the
head of
Jesus,
the sinless
one,
the perfect
one.
He takes
that record
of debt.
He dies
in our
place for
our sins
so that
God can
justly write
paid in
fool
when our
faith
is in
Jesus.
The
just
anger
of God
falls
on
Jesus
and not
on
those
who
trust
in
him.
With
the
result
of the
power
of sin
is broken,
the power
of darkness
is broken,
we're made
alive with
Christ,
we enjoy
victory
with
him.
And what
Paul says
in this
prayer is
that in
light of
how wonderful
the gospel
is,
in light of
that transformation
that God
in Jesus
has worked
for us,
we should
live to
please
Jesus.
We should
live to
walk worthy
of him
in light
of the
gospel.
Just as
we close
some
random
visitor
stats,
and a
question,
what is
it that
makes
35,000
people a
year
climb
Mount
Everest?
What is
it that
draws
650,000
people a
year to
visit the
Isle of
Sky?
What is
it that
draws
30 million
people to
stand at
the edge
of
Niagara
Falls?
doesn't
it speak
to the
fact that
as people
we are
looking for
a sense
of awe
and wonder,
something
bigger than
ourselves,
that we are
drawn to it,
we long
for that
sense of
awe and
wonder,
and when
we find
it,
you might
do yourself
at the
top of a
mountain
range,
you might
imagine
yourself
in a
really
dark
night
looking up
at the
stars,
what does
it do
for us?
Doesn't
it fix
our
perspective
so often?
Doesn't
it helpfully
cut us
down to
size and
help us
to remember
our God
who is
infinitely
bigger?
Paul in
his prayer
speaks to
our hearts
and our
minds.
He says
to us,
remember the
gospel is
powerful,
the gospel
is beautiful,
as we
long for
awe and
wonder,
we're
invited to
find it
in the
gospel.
And as
we reflect
on that,
that it
sorts our
perspective,
as we
understand that
God in
Christ has
done everything
for us,
then that
should motivate
us to
live for
him.
Because how
we think
about Jesus
shapes how
we live
for Jesus.
So let's
pray for
ourselves,
for our
church,
for our
churches,
that we
would be
transformed
by the
gospel
constantly,
so that
we would
want to
live to
please
Jesus.
Let's
do that
this
night.
Lord,
our God,
we thank
you for
how wonderful
the gospel
is.
Thank you
for the
many pictures
that we
find through
your word
that speak
of the
life-transforming
power of
the work of
Jesus for
us in
his perfect
life,
death,
and
resurrection.
Thank you
that by
faith in
Jesus,
we are
qualified for
that eternal
inheritance that
is laid up
for us,
that treasure
in heaven
that can never
be lost or
taken from
us.
We thank you
that you
have rescued
us,
taken us from
darkness into
your wonderful
light,
that you
have set
us free
from slavery,
giving us
true freedom
in Jesus.
We thank you
that he came
to pay that
redemption price
to forgive
our sins,
to bring us
peace with
you,
our God.
Lord,
we pray
that you
would help
our hearts
to be drawn
to the gospel,
our minds
to be drawn
to the wonderful
truth of
the gospel,
so that it
would change
how we live,
that it
would influence
how we
approach each
day and
each situation.
Lord,
may you give
to us as a
church and
as families
and as
individuals that
guiding principle
that we would
want to live
to please
Jesus,
who lived
and died
and rose
for us.
We pray
that you
would give
the spirit
to us,
so that we
would have
wisdom
to know
what that
looks like
in our
lives and
in our
situations.
We know
that we're
all different
and our
lives are
different.
The opportunities
and challenges
we face
will differ
from person
to person,
but Lord,
you know us
and your spirit
can help us
and equip us.
And so we
pray that he
would do
just that,
that he would
cause us to
be asking
ourselves,
how can we
walk worthy
of the Lord
today?
And that by
the spirit
you would
help us
so that we
would give
glory to
you,
our great
God and
Saviour.
Amen.
Now we
will close
our time
singing the
great hymn
from John
Newton,
Amazing Grace,
and we'll
stand together
to sing.