You'll be aware, because you've been working through this particular letter, that the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the church at Colossi, had actually never visited the church.
But he did feel some responsibility for its existence.
An old student of his, a guy called Epaphras, had gone out from under his teaching.
See, Paul had spent a lot of time in a place called Ephesus.
He had based himself there.
He did teaching there.
And from there, Epaphras had gone out and established this church that was about 100 miles to the east.
And so inevitably, you can see that Paul is keeping some degree of interest in how this church is faring.
So much so that when Epaphras visited him in Rome, it seemed the most natural thing for Paul to write to that church in Colossi that Epaphras had founded.
And to encourage them to keep Christ central.
And over this series, you'll have seen how Paul dealt with some of the dangerous new teachings that were beginning to infiltrate into church life there in Colossi.
He was listening to what Epaphras was reporting back to him.
For there were those who were suggesting that they needed Jesus plus a works-based ritual.
Whilst others suggested they needed Jesus plus the mystical experiences that were going around the Roman world at the time.
So Paul in this letter emphasizes the complete wonder and sufficiency of who Jesus is and what he's done.
And for us this morning, the question as we come to towards the close of our series in this letter is how does Paul now draw things together?
What are the words that he wants to leave ringing in their ears?
What are his final instructions?
Well, we're going to divide up this passage under three headings.
And please forgive me if alliteration drives you crazy.
I'm afraid it is alliterative.
But if God had never intended us to alliterate, he would never have given us the letter P.
So, look, it is going to be alliteration.
Forgive me for that.
But maybe it means you will just remember it a fraction longer.
So, my first point is this.
Paul longs for worship that confirms the gospel.
Because there in verse 2, he says,
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Hang on, Andy, hang on.
That's talking about prayer.
Andy, look, it says prayer, not worship.
How could you have such a heading?
Look, when we see how Paul describes this type of prayer,
we realize that he's not talking about a particular action,
but a regular attitude.
He tells them that they are to devote themselves to prayer.
And in the Greek, this has the sense of something that is passionate and continuous and devoted,
something that you strive towards with all your energy.
It's a very strong word in the Greek language.
So, Paul's not talking here about those occasional times of prayer
that you might set aside each day for deliberate and focused and concentrated prayer.
important and good though they are.
He's rather thinking about an attitude that sees the whole of life lived in dependence upon God,
where every moment we're conscious that all we are and all we do is in the hands of our gracious,
loving, loving, heavenly Father,
where the most natural action is to lift everything before him.
That's prayer.
That's worship.
That's actually the gospel in action,
for that's where we demonstrate that we've seen how sin-stained and foolish and needy we are,
where we've learnt not to lean upon ourselves,
but the super-abundant grace of our wonderful Saviour.
And that's what I pray for you,
and it's what I long for myself,
that we'd increasingly be liberated from our pride,
from our self-sufficiency,
that we would live with our hearts and minds fixed on the knowledge of his sovereign rule and mercy.
And when I have that gospel-shaped attitude of prayer,
it's going to inevitably come over in two ways,
and Paul talks about them.
Firstly, you see, he says,
my praying is going to be full of praise.
It's going to be full of gratitude.
It's going to be full of thankfulness.
How could it be anything else as we live in the shadow of the cross?
We're not going to be those who are full of complaints,
but rather our hearts are going to be full of thanks that I've been saved,
saved, that I've been rescued,
an undeserving sinner like me,
and that I've been adopted into the very family of God.
Actually, this is what Paul was getting at when he wrote to the Thessalonian church.
There in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 16 to 17,
he says,
Rejoice always, pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Thankfulness.
Does this characterize you?
Does it characterize your praying?
Or maybe the first thing you do when you come to prayer is you come with your shopping list
and you say,
Dear God, I want this, I want that, because it's all about me.
So God, I've got this need and a bit of a headache.
God, come and just help me.
And I could do with a bit more money.
God, give it to me.
No, no, no, no, no.
I'm not going to be that sort of person.
When I understand what Jesus Christ has done for me in his grace and mercy,
I'm going to be a person of praise and thankfulness.
But secondly, it's not just thankfulness that will characterize this attitude of prayer,
but also watchfulness.
He writes there in verse 2,
Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful.
And to be watchful is also a gospel mark,
for it reveals we understand something of the spiritual battle that is raging.
So as I journey through life,
I'm going to be sensitive to where Satan is attacking
and to where God is working.
I'm going to be prayerfully responsive in that situation.
Let me just give you an illustration.
It helps me.
I love some of the old World War II films.
I don't know why, but I do.
I like watching them.
And in some of the scenes,
particularly when you're dealing with the RAF
and the Battle of Britain and stuff like that,
you have scenes where there's a sort of this,
the central command,
and you've got the WAF who have a map of Britain
and radar in its early stages would pick out
that you've got some of the Luftwaffe coming over.
And so they would then,
the phone would ring and they'd say,
OK, we've got to respond to this.
And you saw the WAF sort of pushing a particular squadron
towards where the attack was coming.
It was a situation of where they were responding
to the attacks when they understood them.
And could I say,
that is what, in one sense,
Paul is getting at here.
That's why corporate prayer is so vital.
That's why I long that all of us would treasure
the privilege we have of meeting together
with our brothers and sisters.
Not only to cry out to God together,
but also to listen and sense
where he is prompting us to pray.
There is something very special
when God's people gather for prayer,
where they seek to understand what God is saying,
where we should be praying,
what is happening.
We don't come with the same prayer list
that we had 30 years ago.
We come with our open Bibles.
We come with our open hearts and say,
God, please, by your spirit,
would you show us how we should be praying?
Lord, what are you doing?
What are you doing in our city
and in our country and in the UK?
Lord, what are you doing?
We want to be responsive to that.
We want to pray there.
We want to be thankful.
We want to be watchful.
So Paul longs for worship
that confirms the gospel.
But secondly, Paul longs for words
that clarify the gospel,
for words that clarify the gospel.
As Paul continues talking about prayer,
he focuses down upon gospel communication,
highlighting not only the ministry of evangelists
like himself,
but also the witness of the believers
that he was writing to
and his passion was that the gospel message
should be clearly articulated and proclaimed.
Now, you may have heard someone try to quote
St. Francis of Assisi.
Preach the gospel
and if necessary, use words.
It may sound clever,
but it's wrong.
And actually, there's no record
that Francis of Assisi ever said that.
It's quite spurious.
For words are vital
and it's essential that every believer
is ready and able to share
the life-saving message of Jesus.
It's what Paul was conscious of
as he worked as a pioneer evangelist.
There in verse 4,
he says,
pray that I may proclaim it clearly
as I should.
And it's what Paul wanted
for those believers at Colossi.
There in verse 6,
he says this,
let your conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt,
so that you may know
how to answer everyone.
Yeah, we should be those
who pray for evangelists
and preachers
that they might be able to
accurately and clearly
and boldly and persuasively
communicate the good news about Jesus.
We should pray that they would speak
those words in the right way.
And by the way,
could I say we have no excuse
complaining about the preacher
if we ourselves have not been in prayer for him.
We need to pray that they would have the courage
to expose the sin
and the shame
that separates so many from God.
And we need to pray
that they will have the wisdom
and insight
to share Christ
in the most appropriate
and winsome way possible,
pointing all the time
to Jesus.
And we need to take a look at ourselves.
We need to be those
who are ready to communicate in words
what Jesus has done for folks like us.
See, this isn't just the job of the professional.
It's not just the job of the evangelist.
It's not just the job of pastor.
If you think about communicating the gospel
and you say,
well, it's all right,
they're doing a Life Explored thing on a Monday
and Graham will preach the gospel on a Sunday
and say,
we don't have to do anything.
No.
How would you explain the gospel?
How would you tell someone what Jesus did?
Or if someone, for example,
asks you about suffering,
if you do get into conversation
with someone about the Christian faith,
they might ask you about suffering.
How do you explain suffering?
How can a holy and a loving God allow suffering?
Well, how do you deal with that?
If that's going to be the major objection
and you want to share Christ,
you're going to have to have thought it through.
Have you?
Or the accusation we increasingly get,
oh, Christianity is homophobic.
How would you answer?
And would you be able to do it in such a way
that avoided cliches
and Christian catchphrases?
You see, there's no point having a conversation
with someone and say,
oh, I know the answer to your problem.
You need to be washed in the blood of the lamb.
And in one sense,
you and I, if we know that sort of language,
we go, that's brilliant, that's great.
I love what the Bible speaks about.
I understand it, but they don't.
And to say to someone,
be washed in the blood of the lamb,
they go, you are weirdos.
You are nutters.
That is not the language that we are to use
to communicate effectively
with people who know nothing
of the Bible story.
No, the right words are essential
to communicate the right message.
But Paul doesn't leave it there.
So I'm trying to say that his prayer is
that we should be those who have words
that clarify the gospel.
But thirdly, finally,
I noticed that Paul longs for works
that complement the gospel,
works that complement the gospel.
See, today, the most potent evangelistic tool
the church possesses
is the transformed lives of Christians.
The reality is, actually,
that people don't stop to consider
the truth claims for the Christian faith.
You may have the most brilliant
apologetic answer.
But often, folks will never even ask you.
They'll rarely, if ever, examine the facts
or consider the arguments.
But what does make an impact
is a deliciously different life.
A life of consistency and purity
and of integrity and of joy
and of peace.
That will attract.
That will draw the questions.
That will provoke the attention.
And that's why Paul instructs them.
They're at Colossae in chapter 4, verse 5.
He says,
Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders.
Make the most of every opportunity.
You see, gospel words are essential,
but they must be accompanied by gospel works.
Now, I grew up in an age
when evangelism was all about
getting someone to attend church
or a gospel crusade.
The cry was,
Get them in.
And so we'd be going around the doors
and we'd be taking leaflets and stuff
and we'd be going,
Come in.
Come in to the building.
Come in and hear the gospel.
Whereas, actually,
the cry of the church today
should be,
Get them out.
Actually, you see,
we don't do our main gospel work
in this building.
We do it in the relationships
that we've established in our community.
Very rarely
will anyone just wander in off the street
and hear the gospel and be saved.
Now, you may have just wandered in off the street.
I don't know.
I'm a visitor here.
You're a visitor here.
If you have, well, that's great.
But can I say,
it would be really unusual.
Folks, don't do that.
However lovely a building you have,
however great a location,
it just doesn't happen.
You see, it's only as people see the difference
that Jesus makes to your life
that they will start asking the questions
that will lead to gospel conversations.
And maybe they might attend a Life Explored
or a Christianity Explored course
as a result of the relationship
that you have built up
because you have been living a life
which is under the Lordship of Christ
and which is so radically different
that people go,
tell me why you tick.
But it's not only what we do individually.
Could I say it is also what we do corporately
as a church.
You see, church is believers.
The church, Brunsfield Evangelical Church
is not this building.
It's you.
It's the believers
who are committed to this church.
And as a group of believers,
it is your responsibility
to look for ways
that you can bless this community.
See, this isn't just a place
for hit and run evangelism.
Listen, this building is a resource
to be used for the glory of God.
This isn't holy space.
This isn't the tabernacle.
This isn't the sanctuary.
It's a building.
And you've got a great building
in a great location.
And the responsibility of you, the church,
the people who are committed
to this church,
to say how can we use
all that God has given us
for the glory of God
and for the sharing
of the gospel.
This is a resource
to be used
for the glory of God.
As I close,
let me,
no,
I,
you see,
too often
we fail as churches
to say what can we do
to bless the community
in which we're based.
Now,
I'm assuming that
most of you
are within five,
ten minutes
of the building here,
the church building here,
that there should be
a particular concern
for Brunsfield.
I know we've got
Holy Corner up the way
and I know that's a,
you know,
there's a bit of an overload
of churches,
but the point is
you are here,
God's put you here
to witness to his grace
and glory.
And the question always
the church must be asking
is how do we connect
with this community?
What can we do
to bless this community?
That's where there needs
to be wisdom
and insight
and a sharing
with the leadership
to understand
what you can do
more effectively
for the glory
of Jesus Christ.
But look,
as I close,
let me point out again
why Paul had to
write this letter.
Okay,
the church planter
Epaphras
had shared with Paul
how a number of people
had come into
the church.
They'd started to question
whether Epaphras
had told them
the whole story.
One group came
from the Jewish tradition
of rules and regulations
and they were telling
the new believers
that faith in Jesus
wasn't sufficient
in and of itself.
No,
they needed
to strictly follow
their Jewish rule book.
And that happens today.
Maybe some of you here
have had experience
of such churches
which is more
about the rules
than Jesus.
Whereas you've got
to do things
in a particular way
and dress in a particular way
and act in a particular way.
The other group
had been influenced
by the mystery religions
that were particularly
popular at that time
within the Roman community,
particularly the Roman army.
And they were teaching
that you needed
particular experiences
to supplement
what you had
in Christ.
And maybe some of you
have come across
similar churches today
where what matters most
is having experiences
and feelings
and where the Bible
comes a distant second.
So in responding
to this,
Paul emphasizes
that when you have
Jesus Christ,
you have all that
you could ever possibly
need or desire.
And so in this letter,
gloriously,
he lifts Jesus up.
In this letter,
he exquisitely speaks
of the worth
and majesty
of Jesus.
He reminds the Colossians
that true believers
are united
to Christ.
and because we're
united to Christ,
we have everything
in Christ.
And there's nothing
better or higher
that I could leave you
with as a church family
than these glorious words
that Paul penned
in response
to all the challenges
that the world
was throwing
at that church.
You'll have looked
at these verses already,
but let me leave you
with them.
Colossians 1,
15 to 20,
and then chapter 2,
verse 10.
Paul writes,
he, that is Jesus,
is the image
of the invisible God,
the firstborn
over all creation,
for by him
all things were created.
Things in heaven
and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones
or powers
or rulers
or authorities,
all things were created
by him
and for him.
He is before all things
and in him
all things hold together
and he is the head
of the body,
the church.
He is the beginning
and the firstborn
from among the dead
so that in everything
he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased
to have all his fullness
dwell in him
and through him
to reconcile to himself
all things,
whether things on earth
or things in heaven
by making peace
through his blood
shed on the cross.
Chapter 2,
verse 10.
for in Christ
all the fullness
of the deity
lives in bodily form
and you've been given
fullness in Christ
who is the head
over every power
and authority.
Let me pray.
Father, we thank you
as we close
that we are able
to again worship
and adore
the Lord Jesus Christ
for everything
that he is.
May he be our joy
and delight.
Forgive us
if other things
become more important.
Forgive us
if our affections
are not anchored
in him.
Forgive us, Lord,
if the idols
and fake gods
of this age
have dominated
our thinking.
Have mercy upon us,
we pray.
Make Christ
increasingly precious.
Help us to cultivate
that heart love
for him.
Help us day by day
to meditate
upon his grace
and mercy,
to read and study
his word,
to respond to him
in prayer.
And Lord,
grant that as a result
our lives might be
transformed,
evidently transformed
in ways that will
provoke questions
and give opportunity
to share the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
For we ask it
in his name
and for his glory.
Amen.